


Book One: To Catch a Thief

by FreyReh



Series: To Catch a Thief [1]
Category: TMNT (2007), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-10 19:27:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 50,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20140735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreyReh/pseuds/FreyReh
Summary: A thief manages to get herself caught up in the turtles lives and she finds herself choosing between the life of a criminal or that of a hero. Not to mention the conflicting feelings she has for a hotheaded turtle. M for lang, violence, and sexual situations. Raph/OC, Don/OC (Repost)





	1. Chapter 1

Note: Yes, I'm finally posting '_To Catch a Thief_' on AO3! It was one of my more popular stories and eventually a popular series on ff.net. On my days off I will be slowly posting the books onto here but if you can't wait the full series will be on ff.net. Tho be warned because I may be changing some things here and there along the way. I've been asked a few times in the past if I will finish the series. I will be. Once everything is reposted, edited, and out on AO3 I will be starting the final chapters to book three. Honestly a very, _very_ long time coming since the first chapter to book one was posted in 2011. This series meant a lot to me mostly because it was how I met some friends who I've met in real life and still talk to almost daily. So please enjoy. Kudos and reviews are always welcome. Similar to my 'WRMZ' series I'm making it easier with editing by posting some chapters together. The first book had much shorter chapters than the second and third.

**Book One: To Catch a Thief**

A black clothed figure stood in front of a jewelry case glittering with diamonds, sapphires, and many more valuable gems. The body type of the person whose face was hidden by a large hood instead of a balaclava, made it easy to determine it was a female. Nylon gloved fingers danced over the tops of the cases, eyes beneath the hood filled with pleasure as they took in the treasures. Finally, she gripped the glass cutter that'd been in one of the compartments of her utility belt and sliced large circles in the cases she wanted. After she finished she made a fist and easily smashed the glass inside without any pain to her hand. She wasn't worried about the alarm. It was an older model and easily disarmed within moments of picking the lock on the back door. However, there were vigilantes out there, and she didn't want to stick around in case one of them were lingering in the shadows. One of whom was the Nightwatcher, who has been a pain in all of her fellow criminal's asses. For months, though, she's been in luck. She was quiet, sneaky even, and wasn't loud and brash like some of those moronic Purple Dragon's could be. She was patient and didn't let the whole of New York know what she was up to with large theatrics. Honestly, it was as if they _wanted_ to get caught.

"Hello," she murmured, delicately picking up a silver jaguar pendant with emerald eyes. It would be a piece she kept for herself instead of selling to her contacts. She tossed the pendant in the bag and grabbed up all she could, careful of the glass that lay in with the jewels. While it hadn't hurt when smashing it, one careless move could leave DNA for the cops to try and follow. Try, being the word. She'd pawned off the ruby ring she now put in her bag about a week ago. She'd gotten a couple grand off of it and she went behind the counters now and bent, knees cracking before she opened the sliding door that hid the safe. This was where he'd gotten the spare cash to pay her. What a moron he'd been, showing all in the store where the large bills were hidden. She took out a stethoscope that she stashed in the sack and using her hearing and patience, managed to open the safe in less than a minute. She quickly emptied the safe, leaving nothing behind. She slid her loot over one shoulder and made a quick exit.

There would be no fingerprints, no traces of who she was. The hood had kept her face hidden from the poor quality camera and even now she kept her head down as she passed it. She opened the back door, locking it before closing it behind her. Smirking she blended in with the shadows of the alley, walking lightly until coming to a fire escape. She pulled herself up on top of the roof of the building she just robbed and only then did she let the hood fall.

Brunette hair was up in a tight bun that she loosened, the brown mass falling to her lower back. Dark brown eyes scanned the area to make sure all was clear. She walked to the other end of the roof, her flat boots silent against the concrete rooftop. The top she wore was of her own design: a black, long-sleeved leather jacket that she could easily maneuver in that the hood attached to. The pants, black and fitted, had side pockets to keep her extra tools handy. No matter how many writers deemed it possible, it was impossible to comfortably commit a heist in a skin-tight leather catsuit and heels. She preferred comfort and maneuverability over style.

Back when she was a young teenager with dreams, she'd always wanted to be a designer, to have her work showcased in New York's Fashion Week. Her dreams never came true. Her mother left her and her sister alone with their father to pursue a relationship with someone ten years her junior in California. Her once loving father turned into a drunk who liked to sometimes use his fists against her to make sure she knew he was in charge, the scar on her upper lip a result of a punch that'd split her lip open. She made sure he never touched Danica, her sister, who now resided in Montana with her fiancée.

Alice Erikson threw all her dreams away when she turned eighteen and obtained a job instead of going to college. Danica moved in with her and Alice worked hard until her sister turned eighteen and went to school on a scholarship. That was where she met Jack and now the two of them were living in Jack's hometown of Springwood, Montana-and had asked Alice to come with them. Jack knew of their past and let Alice know numerous times how grateful he was that Alice protected her younger sister but Alice decided to stay here.

Having the need to raise not only herself but her sister as well, Alice trained herself into becoming a thief. She first stole from the place she worked at, her boss reminding her too much of her father to leave alone. She then slowly moved her way up from pick pocketing to disarming high-tech security devices. She'd been caught, once, but had managed to weasel her way out of the charges when the evidence deemed to be a bit TOO circumstantial. She had contacts that took the jewelry off of her hands, the money she now made enabling her to live comfortably. She didn't feel bad about stealing. The economy they lived in now, it was a dog-eat-dog world. Most of those she stole from had insurance anyway, not to mention the money she made in the past kept her and her sister away from her father. Not to mention, stealing was a total rush that she was addicted to. Starting at a jog, she retraced the steps that brought her here, leaping from one rooftop to the other comfortably on her way back to her place. She enjoyed the simple exercise after a large heist, the adrenaline in her far from depleted.

It was when she leaped from the rooftop of a local pizzeria to a neighboring bakery that she heard it. A very small cry for help and she stilled in her steps. She moved to the edge of the roof just in time to see a woman being boxed in by a couple Dragons. Normally Alice didn't feel the need to insert herself in situations like this but the woman was small, and had the same haircut as her sister… Not to mention she was pregnant.

"Shit," muttered Alice, stashing her loot on the roof before quietly moving down the side fire escape. Every fiber of her criminal persona was screaming at her to take her loot and go. Her conscience, the thing she wished would just take a hike, was demanding she help the woman. She was no hero. She stole from people. She hurt people who got in her way. She... She really wasn't happy that the soon to be victim looked like her sister.

"Please," begged the woman. "I have a baby…"

"Shut up, Bitch," growled a Purple Dragon, drawing out a switchblade.

Alice silently stepped over the railing of the fire escape when managing to sneak far enough down. She judged the distance from her to the assailant and knew what she was about to do was stupid. She should have just called the cops, but in this city, it seemed like they were always the last to arrive at the scene of the crime. Which she never really ever could complain about. Till now.

_Where the hell was the Nightwatcher when you needed him?_

"Fuck me," muttered Alice before she took a flying leap, aiming her feet at the shoulders of the Dragon holding the switchblade. Luck was on her side because before she knew it, she hit her target and took him down. She even managed to land standing. She took note that the switchblade skittered toward the pile of crates to her right and kicked out to her left at the shocked Dragon who had, just a moment ago, been standing next to his currently unconscious friend.

He stumbled back toward a dumpster that had stains on it that Alice didn't even want to know the identity of. She hustled toward the Dragon before he could recover and lashed out in a way one of her contacts taught her. A punch to the nose had the Dragon's head whipping back. The back of his head made contact with the dumpster, the steel spikes coming out the back of his skull in a pattern of a Mohawk making a clang resound through the alley. Her knee came up to make contact with his gut, and she felt the air whoosh out of his lungs against her neck before she finally took him down with her killer left hook. She turned around to see if the woman was all right. To Alice's surprise she was soon staring down a barrel of a semi-automatic that the pregnant woman held. Alice put her hands up and her eyes narrowed as the pregnant woman sneered at her.

"Stupid bitch," said the pregnant woman. Upon closer inspection she noticed that the woman's hair was black and the unwashed mass was matted on the one side of her head. She had on ripped jeans stained with something that made them grey on the thighs and a black shirt. At the wrist she saw the tail end of a tattoo. Purple-friggen-Dragons. _Fuck_, she'd fallen into a damn trap. And while she'd easily taken the goons now on the ground of the alley this armed woman would be harder to handle. She didn't look too smart and had marks on her face that let Alice know she had a bad habit. 

"I saved your ass," said Alice.

"Please," said the woman. "You fell right into our trap. Though you ain't who we were targeting… It'll be one more hero off the streets."

"You gotta be shittin' me," said Alice, hands on her hips now, not caring that a gun was pointed at her. The woman seemed put off by someone yelling at her. Especially when she had a gun. "You even pregnant?"

"Nah," said the woman, lifting her shirt to show a silicone baby bump.

"Look I'm no hero. Only reason I came was cause I thought you were pregnant. Take a look at the get-up. Dressed in black, fancy dancy belt. What's that say to ya? I'm a thief, not a hero!"

"You tryin' to confuse me? You ain't one of us. You just a stupid-"

Her words were cut off as, out of no where, a long piece of chain came whipping out of the shadows to her wrist. It snapped so hard that the pain made the woman drop her gun. Before she could cry out in pain, however, another piece of chain came out and wrapped around her waist and pulled her into the shadows. The woman had screamed when being pulled back but the scream was quickly silenced.

'_Crap_,' thought Alice, '_the Nightwatcher._'

She took immediate action and started to run for it. With the sound of more struggling coming from behind her she raced up toward the ladder of a fire escape and started the climb up to where her loot was. She didn't give pause and managed to make it to the top of the roof without sensing someone following her. She knew better, though. She'd heard rumors of this guy from some of her contacts. He was fast, and moved in the shadows like a damned ninja. He was a goddamn boogeyman to criminals. Grabbing her bag she turned to make a run in the direction of her home only to slam into metal armor. Stumbling back she first regained her balance then looked up to see the Nightwatcher, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at her- or at least she figured he was behind that large helmet of his.

"And where do ya think _you're_ goin'?"

.

.

.

Raphael's night had started off slow. He managed to bag a couple drug dealers near the docks and a mugger over near the corporate offices in downtown. He was the Nightwatcher. He did the job he and his brothers used to do together alone now. Leo split on them, off to become a better leader or whatever. Raphael didn't buy it, he shoulda been back by now and instead he chose to stay in South America. Leo abandoned them all as well as his duty. Raphael couldn't do what Mikey and Don were doing. He couldn't get a job and pretend to be normal. He wasn't normal. He wasn't going to fool himself. Instead, he did what he did best: beat in the heads of punks who thought now that the turtles were M.I.A. they could take over the city.

What he liked best was that the Nightwatcher didn't have to hide in the shadows as much. The cops didn't bother him cause he was pretty much picking up what they didn't have time to respond to. Also, there was no one trying to lead him or rag on him for his choices. He was his own boss and he preferred it that way. No one was catching on to him, _hell_, his whole family thought he was just sleeping the day AND night away… He couldn't tell them, for one they might try and stop him, or even worse: join him. Hell no, he preferred working alone.

He'd been ready to call it a night when a black clothed figure caught his attention. A female, running rooftop to rooftop, with a bag over her shoulder. Now he knew many didn't find rooftops as a popular jogging place, unless you were trying to remain hidden in the shadows. The fact she was dressed all in black led him to one conclusion: thief.

_'Should be fun,'_ he thought as he chased after her, ready to take her down, until a call for help halted him in his steps. She stilled as well and his amber eyes focused in on her face. She was debating on whether or not to help the victim. Raphael quickly moved in position because he could always track the thief another time. A pregnant female in trouble was more important.

_'I'll be damned.'_

The thief managed to make her way down the alleyway as well and Raphael was curious as to what she would do. Taking a flying leap off of the fire escape and onto the perp's back wasn't what he would have guessed. She could fight. _Damn_. Took down two Dragon's without breaking a sweat and-

"The hell?" he said out loud as the '_pregnant_' woman pointed a gun at the thief.

Son of a bitch, now he had to worry about traps being laid out for him before rescuing someone? _Perfect_. Seeing that the thief was having no luck talking her way through this, Raphael chose that moment to move. He leapt and landed silently on the alley floor then whipped the chain he now liked to use to disarm the female Dragon. He caught out of the corner of his eye the thief making a run for it. The female Dragon went down with not much of a fight since she no longer had a gun and it took him no time to gather the three up and tie them all with a chain.

"Kiss my ass you tin can freak!" mumbled the lady, recovering from the whiplash he'd given her by yanking her back.

Raphael left her there with the others, knowing the cops would probably find them in the morning. Right now? He had a thief to catch. With his ninja training it took him no time to make his way to the roof, using his speed and acrobatic maneuverability to land on the top. She turned, and ran right into him and he fought the chuckle in his throat as her wide, brown eyes took in who she just ran into.

"And where do ya think _you're_ goin'?"

.

.

.

Alice had a moment of panic. She took a half step back to assess the situation the best she could and it seemed like the only way to escape would be to fight. She knew she wasn't the best at it. Sure she could take down a punk or two with her basic moves but really that was all she had. With the stories she heard from this guy? She didn't stand a chance. Damn, after tonight, if she wasn't in jail she was going to sign up for some sort of ass kicking class. 

"Home," she answered, chin sticking out. "I have no beef with you, Nightwatcher."

"I'm sure the guy you stole from does, though."

"This?" she asked, holding up the bag, then tossing it at him. His hand moved fast to catch it before it fell to the ground. "I don't want it anymore, you can have it."

"What? You expect me to let you walk?" he asked, dumfounded.

"Why not? You saw my attempt at a good deed. What if I say pretty please?"

"C'mon," he said, reaching for her arm, and she skittered away. "Damn it I don't have time for this. I won't hurt you if you just come with me peacefully."

"You're dreaming," she said, eyes narrowed. "I'm not going ANYWHERE with you."

He reached for her again and she twisted out of his grasp and she heard what sounded like a growl before he came at her a bit faster than last time. He managed to grab her arm so she used the elbow of the free arm to hit him in the chest. It hurt, a lot, and she now had both arms behind her back. She was a little taller than he was and gave her own growl when he made her feel even weaker by holding both her wrists with just one hand.

"You _ass_, let me go!"

"Sorry lady, you do the crime, gotta expect to do the time."

She stomped down on his foot, but his body was too well protected, so she was certain he didn't even feel that. She noticed that even though it felt hard as hell, it seemed like the lower torso area was the only place not covered in thick armor. His inner thigh area looked vulnerable as well but she didn't have any way to strike those areas. She felt cool metal against her wrists and smirked as he looped an arm around one of hers.

"Handcuffs, huh? Kinky." He faltered a little and she did a little victory dance inside her head. Not used to compliments from women? She could SO work with that. "Didn't know the Nightwatcher was into bondage! What're you going to do with me now? I'm not against the use of blindfolds."

"I-shut up!" he growled.

"C'mon, Nightwatcher…" She leaned against him, biting her bottom lip and looking up at his through her lashes in a way she hoped was seductive. "Show me what you can do."

He moved so fast she wasn't sure she was able to blink before her back was pressed against a storage shed on top of the roof. His hands were on her shoulders, fingers digging. The splintery wood was rough against her hands as they and the handcuffs pressed into her lower back. The mini spot lights of his helmet were off so they were both in shadow and she leaned forward once more in challenge, her breath slightly fogging up the visor of his helmet. He was on edge, tense, and the woman inside her revealed that she still was able to make a man react to her advances.

"If I showed you what I could do," he said, his Brooklyn accent thickening, her insides melting unwillingly to the tone of his voice. DAMN was it sexy. He leaned into her, hands still clenching against her shoulders, and if it wasn't for the visor she was certain she'd have felt his hot breath against her neck. "You'd be sore for days."

.

.

.

Raphael wasn't sure what he was doing. Why it was he was playing her game? She was a thief trying to get her ass out of a tough spot and making advances to do it. It wasn't the first time a woman has tried this on him but for some reason she affected him more. Perhaps because she wasn't a Dragon or some high addict looking for yet another break. She was all woman, the clothes she wore not doing a thing to hide those curves of hers. When he first saw her face it'd been just any other person he was taking down but now that he was this close…

Her hair looked soft, the dark brown strands blowing lightly in the small breeze, sticking to a pair of full lips. The scar on the upper lip just added to his attraction and her eyes? Dark. Seductive. Dangerous. He shook his head, backing away from her. Taking her by the elbow, he knew he needed to get away from her, and fast. She was affecting the way he thought _and _his body. She uttered a curse as he hefted her up over his shoulder.

"Put me down!"

"I will, once we make it back to the store, then I'm leavin' ya there for the cops to take care of."

She pounded into his shell with her handcuffed hands and kicked with her feet and he was about to tell her to pipe down when his COM started to buzz. Armed robbery in progress, men heavily armed, shots fired… Dammit! He set her down on the roof and uncuffed a wrist only to re-cuff it to the ladder he'd been ready to take her down. They now took priority over a thief whose loot he now had.

.

.

.

Alice grew confused as he set her down. Why the sudden change of heart? Listening closely she could hear some sort of static from his helmet. Ah, police scanner perhaps? While being uncuffed that was when she sneakily eased her hand where her loot had been stashed and tucked it safely on her person before he turned to her. He pointed a thick finger at her face, making her go slightly cross-eyed.

"Stay put."

_'Fat chance,'_ she thought.

"Duty calls?" she asked with a smirk as he stepped up onto the ledge of the building. "Don't keep me waiting too long."

He didn't answer her, just jumped off the building, and as soon as she heard the rev of a motorcycle she knew he was known for chasing men down on: she reached into her utility belt with her free hand and shook her head as she pulled out the lock-picking kit. It'd been a rookie move, not searching her before leaving her alone. Especially since she was a thief. She easily took off the cuffs then got onto her feet. She didn't hesitate to flee the scene, leaving the cuffs behind to dangle on the ladder as one last tease, laughing as she continued to leap from building to building on her way home.

.

.

.

An hour later, Raphael stood by the ladder, a look of annoyance on his face as he zeroed in on the cuffs still attached to the ladder but no sign of the thief anywhere.

"Damn it!"

.

.

.

Freshly showered after her drop off, Alice lay on her bed clad in a black tank top and panties, holding up the cat pendant. A wad of cash was tucked safely under the loose floorboard of her apartment. Even though she lived in a nicer neighborhood, she still didn't trust someone not to break in and had hidden compartments for her stowed away cash, gems, as well as a firearm for extreme situations. She hated guns but that didn't mean she didn't know how to use them. '_Mercy_' by Duffy suddenly started playing and she slowly sat up on the bed and took her phone from the nightstand. Seeing who it was she pressed answer on the screen and leaned back against her pillows.

"Hey Sis. You're up late."

"Alice! How are you? It's been a while. I'm sorry, were you sleeping?"

"Ok," said Alice, crossing her legs, still looking at the pendant. "I just got home from work."

"You mean…" Danica was no stranger to what Alice did. She sighed. "I thought you said…"

"It's good money, Dani…" Alice pursed her lips, sitting up. "It helped keep us from Dad and its helping me stay afloat due to my lack of college education. It pays the rent, keeps me from having to ask anyone for money." Alice sighed. "I don't want to fight about this with you, Dani."

"I just worry Alice that I'm going to get a phone call and it's you asking for bail or worse…"

"I'm careful, Dani. So, how's Jack?" asked Alice, wanting to get off this topic. "The baby?"

"Good, he just got a promotion. They baby is fine. Though HE is the reason I'm up so late."

"He?" asked Alice.

"Yes! It's a boy!"

"That's excellent news!" said Alice, smiling as she set the pendant aside and slid out of bed. She walked to her window and slightly pulled back the curtains to her bedroom, brows furrowed. Alice wondered where the Watcher was at that moment. Probably sulking somewhere due to her escape. "I'm happy for you."

"Are you happy, Alice?"

Alice frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Are you with someone? I worry about you being alone."

"I'm hardly alone."

"I don't mean those people that…Do the same thing you do." Dani had a note of disgust in the tone of her voice and Alice rubbed her forehead, the impending headache starting to throb behind her eyelids. "I mean someone to start a life with."

"I'm perfectly happy with how I am at this moment in time."

"I'm just-"

"I'm tired," said Alice. "It's almost three in the morning here. I'm going to go to bed, I'll call you later this week, ok?"

"Ok," sighed Dani, defeated. "I love you, sis."

"Love you too," said Alice before hanging up and tossing her phone on her bed.

She stared out the window a moment more before letting the curtains fall. She moved her phone to the nightstand then slid in between the sheets. The covers were cold against her bare legs as she settled against the pillows and fought the need to shiver. Closing her eyes she imagined what it would be like to have someone with her, lying in bed with her, keeping her warm… then shook those thoughts away. Dani always brought the domestic side out of Alice, and with Alice's line of work all she really had time for was a fling here and there. She'd hardly call any of the men she knew someone to settle down with. Have fun with? Yes. Raise a family? No. Did she really want that? She wasn't sure, maybe… but for now. She was content in sleeping soundly in her bed, the pendant she kept after her heist clutched in her hand.

.

.

.

Raphael lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. He'd just gotten home, his mood sour due to the thief getting away as well as the tender shoulder he now had. After dealing with the armed robbery and seeing that his thief escaped, he went to the park to take his aggression out on some punk kids. One managed to sock him good in the shoulder with a bat, hard enough to make it tender despite the metal protection he had.

Amber eyes slowly closed and as they did the sultry gaze of the thief invaded his thoughts. The words she whispered to him, encouraging him to make a move…The look of desire in her eyes when he said she wouldn't be able to handle him had his shell tightening. Those scarred lips had him tempted to raise the visor and have a taste. Which was why he'd pulled away from her so fast. He had been sloppy in his escape and hadn't even checked to see if she had any picks on her person or that he still had the loot after walking away.

"Idiot," he said, smacking his palm against his tired face.

Next time he caught her, he wasn't letting her go.

**TBC**…


	2. Chapter 2

dis: i don't own TMNT, Alice is my OFC

.

.

.

Alice was relaxed in the harness she wore as she rappelled down through a sky window into a private highrise that held a Japanese sword that once belonged to Takeda Shingen, a daimyo in feudal Japan in the mid 1500's. It took three trips to the place to map out the best way inside. With the sky window only having basic motion sensor security, it was cake. She was timing it well with the oscillating cameras to remain hidden for the most part. Her point of entry made it difficult so she was certain a camera would catch a glimpse of her but all it would pick up would be a shadow figure of a woman and not any distinguishing facial features. She also made sure that she went at a time there was some sort of crime being committed. Alice had made use of her police scanner and _now _was a perfect opportunity because across town, far away from her, there was a police chase going down with a carjacker and she was certain the Watcher was keeping his attention on that situation.

Now, hovering three feet from the floor, she remained there as she twisted herself around to face the sword. It wasn't in a glass case but she had to Indiana Jones her way out of this one. The steel blade rested in a polished wooden scabbard, which was resting on two censored prongs. She did her research on the blade and managed to find one long enough and perhaps the same weight. She was hoping the security system wasn't too touchy or else the whole place was about to go off.

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them, brown orbs focused as she slowly took the replacement sword that was strapped to her back and held it in her left hand. She flexed her right hand and held her breath as she, faster than she's moved before, took the Takeda Shingen blade and replaced it with a fake. It was then she quickly started her assent. Just because the alarm didn't go off right away, didn't mean it couldn't still blare at any moment.

It wasn't until she was back through the sky light that she was able to breathe normally again. Quickly gathering her equipment she put her climbing gear into a plain, black backpack and shrugged it on over her shoulders. She was to meet with the person that hired her tomorrow night so she had to hold onto the stolen sword for now. It had been a trip so instead of running back to her place from rooftop to rooftop she had to take her car which was parked a few blocks down on a side street. Silently she moved at first rooftop to rooftop, but then to an entry level of a roof of an older apartment building. It was then she pulled down her hood, removed her nylon gloves, and let her hair down. She did her best to look normal as she entered the building and slowly started her decent down the stairs. The only person she ran into was an elderly woman who gave Alice a sweet smile before entering her own apartment.

Exiting the apartment building, she walked fast until she came upon her car, a black Camero. It was fast, and she loved it, and one of the few things she owned that she actually cared for. Tossing her pack in the passenger seat she climbed in. With the door closed and locked she turned on the overhead lights to look at her prize. The scabbard was polished wood, probably not the original but the hilt had a rough feel to it. Pulling on it, the steel made a sharp noise as it was pulled from the scabbard and her eyes traveled over the sharp blade. There were engravings along the side of the blade, perhaps Japanese, and she felt a strange pull as she ran her finger over the markings. Brushing those feelings aside she re-sheathed the sword and put it in the back before starting up her car and taking off back to her apartment. In the back seat, she was unable to see the metal blade of the sword inside the scabbard giving off a faint, blue glow.

.

.

.

Splinter woke from his deep meditative state. He had felt a strong presence that he couldn't quite place, as if something had awakened. It troubled him that he couldn't determine if it was good or evil but whatever it was it was powerful. He hoped that whoever awakened this power, or absorbed this power, would use it for the side of light and not fall and abuse the power given to them. At first Splinter feared that Shredder had awakened again, but this was… different.

"I must meditate on this further before I tell my sons," he said to himself, closing his eyes and slowing his breathing.

It was times like this he missed Leonardo. Surely his eldest son had felt this power as well. Leonardo was his only son that meditated regularly, and once you entered the celestial plane you felt all that there was to the Earth. It was how Splinter made sure his son was ok. At first Leonardo had been a bright blue, fiery beacon, willing to share his thoughts and feelings with him. Lately, Splinter felt as if there was a block and he couldn't reach his son like he used to be able to.

"My son, you are missed."

Since his departure, his other sons had busied themselves with other projects after Splinter told them they were to no longer patrol the city together without Leonardo to complete the team. Michelangelo and Donatello had gotten jobs and Splinter had been reluctant to agree at first, especially with Michelangelo's, due to the fact his son was out in the day time '_pretending_' to be a turtle at social events. His sons, however, were getting older, and needed to make decisions on their own. Splinter needed to learn to trust their judgment, though he still didn't support Raphael and his need to disobey by becoming the Nightwatcher.

Splinter knew from the first broadcast he'd seen on the television, that Raphael was the Nightwatcher. Raphael left at odd hours and slept during the day. His sons didn't train so the bruises and small cuts on Raphael's body when Splinter actually saw him could only be explained by one thing: his son was making sure the city stayed safe. He was a free spirit that Splinter couldn't fully control. For now, he allowed Raphael to keep his secret identity from his brothers, so long as he kept his real identity safe. Until the moment he confronted his son about this issue, the only thing he could hope, was that he would do his best to remain safe.

.

.

.

Raphael grunted as his shell was tossed into a brick wall, his body falling to the dirty alley floor as a seven foot giant closed in on him. It was the same punk he'd been chasing all night. He'd ditched the truck he'd tried to steal and managed to escape the cops. The man cracked his beefy knuckles and sneered, his heavy biker boots clomping on the pavement. Hun wasn't even as big as this guy and Raphael was grateful for the extra armor he wore otherwise this last hit might've knocked him out. The cocoa skinned thug didn't have any tats but there wasn't a place on his face that wasn't metal. He had a skull trim and his muscles bulged from the tight red shirt he wore.

"I'm gunna kill ya, Nighwatcher, and tell my boys I finally got rid of ya."

"Oh yeah?" Raphael flicked his wrist fast as lightning, a length of chain with a heavy ball at the end shooting out toward the thug, wrapping around his thick neck. The ball swung around faster and faster until finally smashing into the man's face. Raphael stood and pulled and like Goliath, the man went down with a crash. Raphael walked forward and looked down at the dazed man. He pulled up on the chain and those beefy hands were trying to pull the chain away from his throat. "See, your problem is that you talk too much."

Raphael brought his fist back and then smashed it into the thugs face once, twice, then three times until he finally fell still on the alley floor. Sighing, Raphael unwrapped the chain and then started dragging the heavy lug toward a busy street where he would leave him chained securely to a telephone pole then call it in for the cops to pick the criminal up. As he just finished the quick call in, the scanner inside his helmet started buzzing about a break in across town and to be on a look out for a female suspect. It sounded a lot like the one that got away and he had a feeling that she'd planned on waiting to make that heist until she was certain he was nowhere around.

"Smart," he said out loud, straddling his bike. "Don't mean I won't find you though."

The Nightwatcher revved the engine of his bike, and with a squeal of his tires, took off toward where the robbery had taken place in hopes of finding a trace of the mischievous little thief.

.

.

.

A freshly showered Alice sat on a chair in her silk pajama shorts and cotton tank top staring at the sword that rested on top of her coffee table. Ever since touching the damn thing she's felt a pull to it, as if she HAD to touch it again. It was scaring her and a small part of her resisted the temptation to touch it. Never has she felt a feeling such as this with anything else she's stolen. Her brown eyes were curious but wary as they traveled over the covered blade.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered as she stood, now pacing on the area rug, eyes drifting to the sword until finally she couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed it, took it out of the sheath, and instantly felt a weird, humming heat travel up her arm. She wanted to let go, willed her hand to let go, especially when the damn thing started to glow.

"What the hell?!" she exclaimed as the engravings came to life on the blade. The black markings traveled down the blade, around the hilt, and finally to her hand. What had been etched into the steel was now on her skin, black ink twisting up her arm like a snake.

She fell to her knees, still holding the sword, as her body started to vibrate with an alien-like feeling…Power. It was as if something within her was coming alive and the black markings were now finding homes. One was at her left wrist, another on her right. One stopped at the back of her neck and the last managed to make it down to her right ankle and as they sealed themselves to her body, she started to take on the same glow the sword had. A sonic BOOM shook her apartment, setting car alarms off, and waking up half of those in New York that had been sleeping. The other half that had been awake gave shouts of fright and confusion as the ground shook beneath their feet for a brief second. As slight panic erupted around her Alice fell the rest of the way to the floor, now unconscious, the sword still in her hand. Unbeknownst to her, many within the city, even around the world felt this new power- and wanted to know more about it.

.

.

.

Raphael looked up as his whole world shook. Literally. He'd been kneeling over where the thief had managed to get into the high rise, when his balance had been thrown off. He knew from experience that if the Earth shook, especially in New York where earthquakes weren't a common occurrence, something fishy was up.

"Just what the hell is goin' on?"

For some reason, he just KNEW she was involved, and so now he was going to try something his father has been trying to get him to master for years. There, on the rooftop, Raphael closed his eyes and lost himself into deep meditation. It wasn't like he couldn't do it, he just didn't want to, but now he was getting focused in a way even Leo would've been proud. He felt it. It came easy so he knew it was friggen strong. A constant pulse, a damned beacon. If all else, whoever had this power, would soon be visited by others. Others wanting to take advantage of them to their own benefit, and it was up to Raphael to find them first. If all else, it could be a powerful new ally. He had time before the sun rose and so he opened his newly focused amber eyes and set out to find the mystery person. A small part of him hoping it was indeed the thief he'd encountered before.

Meanwhile, the person who had hired Alice to obtain the sword frowned. They felt that power and knew that the sword had chosen its new owner. The sword only chose a new holder every 100 years. But only if the beholder is worthy enough to withstand their trials. So now, in order to use the sword in the way this person wanted to, they had to get to Alice before anyone else. They pressed a button on their desk, a red glow emitting from it as they spoke.

"Gather the men; we have an urgent matter that needs to be taken care of."

.

.

.

Alice awakened to a pounding headache. Slowly bringing her hand up to her head she moaned while sitting up. Opening her eyes she found her vision to be blurry and there was a high-pitched ring in her ears. Focusing, she gasped when seeing the state of her apartment. Her chairs and sofa were toppled over. Magazines and picture frames lay scattered on the floor. The only area in her apartment that had no damage to it was the small circumference that had surrounded her body. Lying innocently beside her was the blade and she got to her feet and immediately backed away from it.

"Shingen Takeda was a powerful man," said a clipped, female voice from behind her and Alice whipped her head around to see an Asian woman dressed head to toe in black. "Legend says he was fast like the wind, as destructive as fire, fluid and agile like water, and as sturdy as a mountain. It is all true, for it is the sword by your feet that gave him the power. I have been waiting for so long to obtain this sword for my use..." She smirked humorously, her painted red lips almost a sneer. "Unfortunately it seems the sword has already chosen its wielder. It only does so every century but it has been locked away for so long it has just now found a new user."

"I want nothing to do with that," said Alice, pointing at the sword on the ground, attempting to get to her feet. She was all sorts of woozy and now that there was an intruder in her apartment she had to do her best to shake it off if she needed to defend herself.

"It is too late." The woman nodded to the hand Alice pointed with. "The sword has left its markings upon you."

Confused, Alice looked down at her hand and gasped when seeing the black marking. She remembered, now, how the ink had slunk over her skin and looked upon her other wrist as well as her ankle.

"There is another on the back of your neck. Do you know what they say?" asked the woman.

"No," said Alice, dazed. She knew it had to be Japanese and though she could speak it fluently along with a few other languages she never got around to reading and writing. Save for French. She really liked French. And she was getting off topic here!

"It is the elements, Alice," said the woman. "Fire, water, air, and earth."

"Who are you?" asked Alice, cupping the back of her neck.

"How rude of me," said the woman, making a fist and putting it over her heart. "I am Karai, leader of the Foot Clan. I am here, to make you an offer."

"Oh?" asked Alice, finally now getting to her feet, still keeping her distance from the blade.

"I am the one that hired you to obtain the sword," she confessed. "I am well aware of who you are and what it is that you do. I… Wish for you to come join me. The sword was a test for you to join my forces, but now that it has chosen you, I wish to have you even more."

Alice narrowed her eyes upon the woman. She wasn't stupid. Since this Karai person couldn't have the power for herself, she wanted Alice to join her so that she could still have a say in what the power was used for. Rubbing her wrists she met the woman's cold stare and shook her head.

"No. I don't WANT this power. I refuse-"

"You have no choice!" spat Karai, making Alice take a step back. Karai calmed herself before speaking. "You do not have the control. You are a danger and you need help to focus your energy. You do not possess such a talent."

"Oh, and you do?" asked Alice.

"I have mastered the art of meditation," said Karai, holding out her hand. "Come. Let me teach you, and in time, you may-"

"Well isn't this nice," said a sarcastic voice through Alice's broken window. A voice she knew all too well. As if her night couldn't get any worse. "Oh, sorry, am I interrupting?"

"No," said Alice.

"Yes," hissed Karai.

"You were just leaving," said Alice, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You WILL come with me."

"NO. I will NOT."

"You heard the lady," said the Nightwatcher, fully entering the apartment, large metallic boots crunching against the broken glass of Alice's windows on the floor. They must've broken when that BOOM hit.

Karai wasn't pleased and she growled while drawing her weapon and Alice took another step back. The Nightwatcher took out his weapons as well and Karai smirked before launching an attack. The Nightwatcher was fast, but so was she, and a well-placed kick had him toppling over the sofa. All Alice wanted to do was escape, but Karai turned to her and brought up a foot to kick Alice. Surprisingly, Alice quickly moved out of the way. The fastest she'd ever moved in her life. Karai's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again before launching another attack against Alice. Each time Alice was able to move out of the way using newfound speed. Alice quickly ran out of places to run to and she was cornered. Karai smirked, raising her blade up underneath Alice's chin. Before she could say anything a thick chain wound around Karai and she was pulled away much like the Dragon from the other night. She literally flew across the room, the back of her head colliding against her apartment wall. She lay unconscious. Alice looked up to see the Nightwatcher extracting his chain from Karai.

"Why are you here?" asked Alice.

"I felt the power," said the Nighwatcher, making her eyes narrow in suspicion. "Relax, I don't want to use you in the way she did. You're like a damn beacon, though the waves are a lot lower than they were before." He looked down at Karai. "I'm sure her people are close by. We need tah go."

"But-"

"I can't protect ya here," he said, his Brooklyn accent thick with irritation and perhaps some urgency.

"Why would _you _want to protect _me_?" she asked.

"Cause when SHE is involved, its neva good. I have a history with this woman, and she's bad news."

Alice nodded, agreeing with him on that. She had a choice to make now. Runaway and hope to never get caught or go with him. She didn't even know why she had an ounce of trust for him either. If it'd been up to him the other night she'd be in jail. He was only helping her because of the sword. If it were any other day he'd be narking on her now. Besides, if what he and Karai said were true, then she was in danger from anyone else wanting this power. At least with Karai she could learn to control it. Though she wasn't so sure she'd ever trust the bitch after what she pulled a few minutes ago.

"She said she could teach me to control what I can do. Am supposed to apparently be able to do. Can you?"

"I… I don't know if I can but I know someone who could." He sighed. "Look, we gotta move now."

"Fuck," she cursed before tip-toeing around her apartment. "Let me grab some stuff, OK?"

"Fine," he said, looking out the window, keeping an eye on the unconscious woman on the floor. Two minutes later, Alice came out of her bedroom carting a duffle that contained her phone, laptop, wallet, three changes of clothes and some pajamas, as well as some toiletries. She hesitated before picking up the sword and sheathing it and strapping it to her back. She'd put on a pair of black jeans as well as her flat black boots. Over the white tank she'd pulled on her warm, black bomber jacket having stuffed the jacket she wore on jobs in her duffle.

"C'mon," said the Nightwatcher, leaving out the window. He took her elbow and seemed to be looking in the darkness, as if expecting something to come at him. And it did. Alice gasped as a throwing star barely missed her head, sparking against the wall. "SHIT!"

"Who the hell are these people?" gasped Alice as she raced down the fire escape, throwing stars barely missing her. Though she bet if they'd really wanted to hit her they would. Perhaps they were under orders by Karai to not harm her?

"Foot. The fucking Foot," cursed the Nightwatcher as they made it to the alley. Soon, they were surrounded by about fifteen men dressed in black. "Come to get your asses kicked like yer boss?"

The Foot members shuffled nervously, some looking up at the window.

"She's bleeding," said Alice. "Barely conscious. You better go check on her. Perhaps call 911?"

More pausing and three of them left the group to check on their Master. Better odds but the problem was that they all attacked at once with swords and Alice felt something take over her. It was so easy to draw out her sword and block the first attack. She felt a familiar warmth spread through her body and when a Foot member got too close she leapt up in the air and twisted around faster than a tornado and kicked out hard enough to have the man fly down the alley, only stopping when colliding with a dumpster.

"Holy crap," she breathed, but she didn't have time to dwell on it because two more men were attacking her. Dropping her bag she now had a free hand. The Watcher was fine on his own taking on five men and so she focused on her own self. She brought up her sword, holding it with both hands now and did her best defending. It was easy, perhaps a little too easy, and she used her newly found powerful kicks to send them both to the ground. One tossed a dagger at her and she held up a hand as if it would defend her, when a powerful force came from her hand and blasted the dagger, sending it off course into the brick wall behind her. It was as if a burst of air had come from her body and that ASS had almost killed her! So now she knew there were no orders of protection, they just really sucked at throwing those star thingys! So angry, she turned to the dagger thrower, rage filling her.

"Ack!" she screamed, shaking her hand as flames consumed it. In a blind panic she tried patting out the fire against her coat but it wasn't going out. It was then, she finally realized, it didn't hurt. She stood there, in an alley, with men who wanted to probably kill her: looking at her in amazement. This new power made her stiffen her spine and glare at the men wearing pajamas and masks. "Unless you all want to fry, I'd suggest leaving. NOW."

Many scrambled away. Others lingered but when seeing most of their comrades run, they followed suit. Calming slightly, Alice watched as the flame extinguished in her hand. She flexed it, and looked once more at the unmarred skin. A little giddy she grabbed her bag and turned to the Nightwatcher. She couldn't see his face but his silence meant he was as gob smacked as the Foot had been.

"Don't ask me how I did that, because I have no idea," she said. "Let's get out of here before they figure that out."

He shook his head before placing what looked like large sais into his belt before motioning her to follow. She raced after him, feet splashing in puddles left from the rain, until coming upon a bike. Putting her arms through the handles of her duffle, Alice wore it like a backpack before climbing on behind the Watcher on his bike. He tensed as her arms went around his middle but seemed to get over it pretty fast.

"Hold on!" he shouted before bolting out of the alleyway. Alice hung on for dear life, actually closing her eyes a couple times when she felt they'd gotten a little too close to a car or bus. They whizzed through the city, and after a while, she relaxed, enjoying the ride. When they got to an area where a lot of buildings had been abandoned he pulled up to one. A garage door opened and he was soon pulling in. Turning off the bike he sat there as she crawled off. She looked around. Two vans, a couple more bikes, and what looked like a jet pack was laid out and she lifted a brow while gesturing all around her.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked. "Bruce Wayne? Though I wouldn't be surprised since you like to beat up criminals at night in that suit of yours."

He was still on his bike, staring at her. She wondered how intense his gaze was through that helmet and she tilted her head to the side, curious. Sighing, he got off the bike. Once again, she was surprised that he wasn't taller, and that with all the bulk he could move as fast as he could. 

"Look," he said, uneasily shifting on his feet. "I'm gunna take off this helmet. I look… different."

"Different how?" she asked, arms crossing over her chest, hip cocking out to the side. Just what she needed, some dude worried about the way his face looked. What'd he have? Bad acne? Who cared?!

"Just… Don't freak out. I'm not… I'm not what yer going to expect me to be."

"Just take off the damn helmet!" she said, now fully annoyed.

"FINE!" he shouted, whipping it off. It was dark, so she was squinting, but then he stepped forward. Her eyes widened almost comically. Due to the small light above her head that illuminated the garage when the door opened she could see him clearly. Dark green skin, beak-shaped nose, amber eyes and… He pulled off a glove to reveal three fingers. What the hell??? "Like I said. Ain't what you expect."

"No fucking way," she breathed, feeling like she was going to either faint or laugh while he undressed before her eyes, revealing more green skin and a friggen' shell! "Am I seeing things?"

"No," he said, standing in his naked turtle glory. Alice adverted her eyes. "WHAT? You gunna scream and run now?"

"No!" she said. "It's just...You're naked."

"Oh… Uh. Sorry. We don't dress in clothes like you humans do."

"We?" asked Alice, her brown eyes connecting with his amber. "There are more of you?"

"Look. I know you have a lot of questions and all. I'll answer them later. I'm gunna be in deep shit bringing you to my home without askin' first. My father, he's all about keeping our identities secret."

"I can understand why." Shaking her head to clear it she couldn't fight the small giggle that escaped her mouth.

"Clue me in on what's so funny," he said, voice dripping with snark. Oh she was so happy she could still get under his skin... Scales? All while her world was spinning like crazy. First because of the sword, second because of her obtaining some sort of new and scary power... And now this!

"My life. That's what. So, how did you find me, again?"

"I felt you." He rubbed his hand over his face when she lifted a brow in question. "You got these powers tonight, didn't ya?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I felt it. Hell, all of New York did. But with my training I could pinpoint where the power was coming from. I knew that if I felt it someone else would've too. So I followed it and lo and behold it's the cat burglar that's been making my life hell for these past couple nights."

"Aww," she said with a playful pout, making him glare. "Okay, let's go then."

"One more thing... I gotta blindfold ya."

"WHAT?!"

"Can't bring a strangah intah my home. I'm not stupid. Look, it isn't DAT far of a walk from here. Okay?"

Alice now noticed that the more agitated he got, the thicker his accent was. She found it kinda hot and was wondering why she didn't feel more weird thinking that a walking, talking turtle was hot. He didn't have to help her and could've left her on her own. He was risking his family being pissed at him and she could understand wanting to keep some secrecy. What with what he was and all.

"Ugh, fine! Though when I said I was up for blindfolds this wasn't what I had in mind." He stumbled slightly in his walk a locker and paused before angrily stuffing his gear into it. He pulled on a different belt, pads, and produced a red bandana before locking the locker back up. She watched as he looked to be composing himself and she bit her bottom lip in glee. Okay, so her life was probably in danger, but this was the Nightwatcher and she was going to fuck with him. Walking to her, he motioned for her to turn around and she complied. He tied the red fabric around her eyes and she smirked. "Where's the handcuffs?"

"W-What?" he asked, sounding flustered.

"Blindfold a girl, gotta expect some sort of bondage," she teased. 

"Look. It ain't like that okay?"

"Sure," said Alice with a grin and she heard him mutter something. "Can you grab my bag, please?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, grabbing her by the elbow. "One more thing? They don't know I'm the Nightwatcher, so don't blow my cover. Or else…"

"Or else what?" she challenged.

A pause, then: "Please?"

From the tone of his voice she could tell he hated asking. He wasn't the type to ask something from someone and she could relate. 

"If that means me getting my shit together with this new mojo…" She held out her hand. "Deal."

His hand came in contact with hers, the different texture of his skin sending goosebumps up her arm. He gave her hand a squeeze and a small shake.

"Let's go," he said, and soon Alice was being led by the elbow, into the unknown, wondering what the hell she'd just gotten herself into.

00000000000

**TBC**…


	3. Chapter 3

Alice tensed when getting the feeling of moving downward and brought her hand out to steady her body. Her palm pressed against cool metal and the sensations of moving down didn't stop. It was as if she was in an elevator and she twisted her head around to where she knew the turtle would be.

"You live underground?"

"Yeah," was his gruff reply.

"Like… In the sewer?" she asked, face twisting as a whiff of the underground snuck up into her nostrils. She then made sure she started to breathe through her mouth instead of her nose. Though, it didn't really help much. In that moment she was ready to just go back to her apartment and take her chances. 

"Well it ain't like we can live in a highrise now, is it?" he snapped. Shit. She'd hit a nerve. And though she liked hitting his nerves perhaps this topic she'd lay off on. For now.

"No. I suppose not," she replied as the elevator stopped with a slight jerk. Luckily, with her hand on the side of the elevator, she could brace herself. She still couldn't believe the situation she just got herself into. Maybe she should've taken her sister's advice and moved out with her and stopped her life of crime. At least then a possessed sword wouldn't have given her freaky powers and ninja (they had throwing stars, they had be ninjas, right?) weirdoes wouldn't be after her! Not to mention her nemesis was a turtle and the one person-_turtle_-who could help her out! "Oh, since I can't call you Watcher, what am I calling you?"

A pause, then: "Raphael."

"Alice."

"Pleasure," he said sarcastically.

"Trust me, the pleasure is all yours," she said, her tone snarky. He gripped her elbow a little rougher than necessary and she jerked away from him, pulling off the slightly tattered red bandana and jamming it into his chest. She blinked to get used to the darkness while he barked at her to put it back on, waving the damn thing back in her face. "Listen here, Sparky! I don't like you, you don't like me. FINE. But enough with the tough-macho-bullshit act you're pulling! I can just turn around and go to that batshit crazy woman instead!"

"Go ahead!" he barked, gesturing back to the elevator, giving her a chance to leave. "See how long you make it before she slices you open! She doesn't care about ya!"

"Well neither do you!" she shouted back, getting in his face. She was close enough to see there were flecks of dark brown in his golden eyes. He was beyond agitated, chest huffing and body beyond tense. "How do I know that you just don't want to use me like she does?!"

"I'm the good guy, dammit!"

"Uh… Raph?" The turtle and woman, who'd been standing toe to toe arguing with each other, both whipped their heads around. A turtle wearing an orange mask '_meeped_' while being bombarded with dual death glares and took a step back. "Geez, hostility much?"

"Mikey? What the hell you doin' out here?" asked Raphael.

"Waiting for you," said Mikey, eyeing the new girl then giving a questioning glance to his brother. The way they'd been yelling at each other let him know they were far from friends. "What's going on, Raph?"

"Mikey, this is Alice. She's running from Karai and her goons and needs a place to lay low."

"Oh, Foot got you down?" asked Mikey, wanting to bring the mood up before more yelling started. He hated yelling. Since Leo left it really hasn't happened much and it seemed like Raphie finally found himself a new person to argue with. "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, postcard, and complimentary mug, and yet we still find ourselves going back for more from time to time."

"I see…" Alice smiled, she couldn't help it. He was… Adorable. "Mikey, right?"

"Yes, pleased to meet you." He took her hand and kissed the knuckles, making Raphael glare and Alice laugh. "Is my overly temperamental brother giving you a hard time?"

"You have no idea," said Alice, feigning despair. "He's been such a big brute."

"Would ya both knock it off?" snapped Raphael, feeling outnumbered. "I'm surrounded by Knuckleheads!"

"Geez, usually its only Leo that can make him his cranky," said Michelangelo, slinging an arm over her shoulders, steering her away from Raphael. She tensed at first, but his personality and eager, blue-eyed gaze made her relax. He was nothing like the hostile turtle behind them. "So… How'd you two meet?"

"Uh… Karai broke into my apartment and Raphael happened to… Be in the area," covered Alice.

"There's more to it," said Raphael seriously, making Mikey look over his shoulder at his brother. "We need to speak to Splinter right away."

"He was awake when I left a couple minutes ago. He missed his soaps today and was popping in the tape Donnie recorded for him."

Giving up on the idea of blindfolding Alice again, Raphael slipped his mask back on and stomped ahead of them to lead the way. His mood was officially shot for the night and the sooner they spoke to Splinter, the sooner he could get away from her for the rest of the night. She managed to push his buttons without really trying. It was like she was Leo and Mikey combined and she didn't do as much to egg him on either. Shell, it also didn't help that she was hot all shell and turned him on.

Dammit.

Laughter behind him had him speeding up. Just like Mike to become best friends with his enemy, the idiot. Raphael made a mental note to mess around with Michelangelo later on before pulling on a lever that revealed the secret entrance to their lair. A gasp behind him had him looking back.

"You have a secret door?" she asked, her eyes alighting with an excited flare of a child. Strange, he didn't expect that from her. "Nifty!"

_Nifty_? Just who WAS this woman?

"Do you like video games? How about comic books? I see the sword on your back, do you fight, too? Leo isn't here. We haven't sparred much with him being gone, but with you we'd have even pairs again. Oh! Maybe we could-"

"Geez, Mike, would ya lay off?" said Raphael, smacking his brother upside the head. Something he hadn't done in a while and the hurt look Mikey gave him had him feeling more than a little guilty. Now he needed a drink. Or two. Or five. "Splinter first!"

"You're such a party-pooper," complained Mikey, rubbing the back of his head, stepping away from Alice so she could wander around.

Alice was rooted on the spot as her wide eyes took in her surroundings. This wasn't what she'd been expecting. Instead of slime and crud the place was almost spotless and didn't carry the same sewer odor as the outside. In fact, she was certain she smelled some sort of sweet incense. It was spacious and laid out almost like an open floor planned apartment. There was a kitchen area, complete with a stove and fridge, as well as a training area filled with punching bags, mats, and an assortment of weapons. On one wall was mass amounts of television screens with two large sofas and a recliner by them. Close by was another set of screens that looked to be a computer system of some sort. Looking up she saw a balcony area complete with metal railings. One entrance had a blue curtain over it and she wondered if those were their rooms.

"This isn't what I was expecting its… Really nice."

"Our brother Donnie is a genius and has enabled us to live in luxury," said Mikey, trying to sound like a British snob. "We just don't know what we would do without him."

"I heard my name," said another turtle as he came into the room, totally engrossed in what he was doing. He wore large goggles and was holding some sort of gadget in one hand and a soldering tool in another. It looked like his color was purple. His mask was around his neck at the moment and out of the way of the goggles. He looked up and jumped a little when seeing Alice. "Uh… hi?"

"Hello," said Alice, bringing up her hand waving just her fingers.

"I… Don't know you," he said, pulling up his goggles.

"She's new," said Mikey, pointing what Alice considered to be his thumb at her.

"I… See..." Donatello turned to Raphael. "Raph?"

"Splinter up?" asked Raphael, walking past Donatello.

"Yeah, but… What's going on?" asked Donatello, jogging to keep up.

"Let me go find him and we'll tell you three all at once," said Raphael.

"So…" Mikey smiled. "You like pizza?"

.

.

.

Within a few minutes they were all seated in Splinter's room. Alice had hesitated when seeing that this Splinter person was a rat. A very, VERY large rat with sharp claws and teeth… Wearing a terrycloth robe. As if her world of weird wasn't weird enough. His kind smile and offering of tea had put her at ease a little more and she was soon sitting against a very plush pillow. His room smelled of the same incense she'd smelled earlier and her whole body was soon relaxed as she took her first sip of tea. She wondered if perhaps he'd slipped something in her tea, because a normal person wouldn't be this relaxed next to four large animals surrounding them. Then again, with the pyromaniac talents she'd administered moments again, she knew she wasn't exactly normal anymore, either.

"I can feel great strength within you," rasped Splinter. "Raw energy flows through your veins, waiting to be unleashed in its full potential. May I ask how this came to be?"

Alice opened her mouth and then closed it again. Dare she tell them she was a thief? Ah _hell_, might as well air out her dirty laundry now. Raphael already knew, so what would be the harm?

"I, ah, was hired to, um, acquire this sword," she said, twisting around to grasp it. She ignored the warm tingles and instead placed it in front of her.

"You mean steal?" asked a shocked Donatello after taking in the meaning of her words.

"Yeah, Donnie, steal," said Raphael.

"Oh… Hm," he said, slightly put off, making Alice bite her lower lip. She looked up at Splinter, and she could see that his whiskers were twitching. Great.

"So, I felt something… Strange, when I touched the blade. I put it off but then I touched it again and **WHAM**. I felt like I was being struck by lightning and when I woke up this woman was in my apartment-"

"Karai," informed Raphael.

"-yeah. And she wanted me to join her and that's when Raphael came in."

"I felt it," he said smoothly. "The raw energy. I followed it and came upon her."

"So, like, you're a thief?" asked Mikey, ignoring most of the story to focus on her career path instead.

"Yes. I know that totally goes against what you guys do and I'll understand if you want me to go. Honestly? I'm scared to death. I want to control this new power inside me. I don't see myself joining up with the likes of Karai. Mainly because she wigged me out."

"Hm…" Splinter looked troubled, and Alice didn't blame him. "What is it that you ask of me?"

"Raphael said you might be able to help me control it. It would be nice to not fear burning my apartment down." She showed her wrists, then her ankle, and finally pulled her hair aside to reveal the last tattoo. Even Raphael was curiously looking at the markings. "They appeared tonight and Karai said it had to do with the sword. Its past owner was Shingen Takeda and Karai made the comment that he had the same powers."

"I will help you, but I do ask a favor of you," said Splinter.

"Anything."

"While you are a guest in my household you will not partake in your... Extracurricular activities. Even now you emit a small pulse of energy and I do not wish to have someone tracking you to our home. As you very well know, we live in secrecy so also, in return of teaching you: I ask you the favor of keeping us a secret."

"Oh I won't rat you guys out." Alice's eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth. Mikey's chuckle made her even more embarrassed. "I mean… Your secret is safe with me."

"It is late. Do get some rest, child, for we will start early in the morning. My sons do not partake in the rituals as of late, but are free to join in. My eldest son, Leonardo, is on a journey and his room is empty. You are welcome to stay in there for now."

"Thanks. _Really_. And I promise I won't say anything or steal anything while I'm here. I'm fully on board. I do have one question though." Splinter nodded, a sign for her to continue. "How did you come to be, you know, like this?"

"I will leave that story for one of my sons to tell. Good night."

Splinter left and before Alice could open her mouth to ask where she would be staying, Michelangelo was there with her bag in one hand as he took her elbow with the other.

"All right! Ready to see your temporary residence?"

"Sure…" Alice shifted on her feet. "Bathroom first? Please?"

"Right! April sometimes comes down here to clean or cook and sometimes train with us. She keeps her frilly shampoo here so if you need some I'm sure you can take some of hers…"

Michelangelo's voice trailed off as he and Alice left, leaving Don and Raphael trailing behind.

"You trust her?" asked Donatello, eyes on Alice as she laughed at something Mikey said.

"Hell no. She's a thief. A smart one, too. The only reason I brought her here in the first place was because I didn't want Karai getting her hands on her."

"Think we're in danger?" asked Don.

"I'm not sure," said Raphael. "I don't think she'd rat us out." Raphael winced and looked over his shoulder to make sure Splinter wasn't around to hear him say that. "But she's a thief. A criminal. She bats for the other side so we gotta make sure she doesn't knock one over our heads."

"You always seem to befriend the interesting ones," murmured Donatello, making Raphael roll his eyes.

"Shuddap," he muttered before leaping up toward some lower pipes and with a few aerial twists he was on the upper level. He walked to the red curtain and looked over his shoulder to Alice and Mikey as they made their way up the stairs. He'd be watching her, making sure to keep her out of trouble. In the mean time, his bed was calling his name.

.

.

.

Alice was trying really hard to be nice. She was tired, starting to get a little cranky, and Mikey was intent on talking her ear off. After relieving herself she washed her face then allowed Mikey to show her to her room. He told her of their origin and it really was an interesting story. He gave her a brief history of Karai, her '_father_' the Shredder, as well as the Foot Clan. After hearing that horror story she knew 100 percent that she wasn't going to ever get mixed up in that crowd again. He told her of growing up, learning Ninjitsu and keeping the peace in the city while remaining in the shadows and it was during this part that she got it. They didn't get many visitors outside of the very few that knew of them. She was someone new, and Mikey was clinging to her for some sort of emotional contact so when they got to where she would stay she accepted the warm hug he gave and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder in return.

"You going to hang with me during my initiation tomorrow?" she asked, pulling back the blue curtain but not going in yet.

"Maybe… I have a party tomorrow."

"Uh… party?" she asked.

"Ever hear of Cowabunga Carl? That's me! It's my job."

"You have a job?" she asked, amazed.

"Yeah. Donnie and I. Don is good with computers and stuff so he's a Tech for those that forget that turning on a computer is essential for it to work."

"Ah. Well that's cool." Alice tried to stop the yawn but it came out full force. "Sorry. Long night."

"It's ok. I'm a little tired myself. If I don't see you bright and early, good luck!"

Mikey walked away after handing her her bag, and Alice entered the room further. It was really neat with the small bed made and everything in its place. She saw a shelf of books and looking closer she saw many of the books had the subject of meditation techniques, swords, and surprisingly '_A Tale of Two Cities_' made its way into the collection. Candles were lit on a small dresser, and Alice was happy someone took the time to light them for her. She changed quickly into warm, grey sweatpants but kept her white shirt on. If she knew she was going to stay in a cool sewer she'd have packed some sweatshirts. Maybe she could talk them into letting her go to her place and pick some up?

She blew out the candles and made her way in the dark to the bed. When she bumped into it she eased onto the mattress. It was a little lumpy but still comfortable. The blankets were a little musty and she wondered how long this Leonardo had been gone for.

That was her last thought before falling asleep.

.

.

.

The one thing Alice found the hardest to do was sleep in unfamiliar territory. She'd been out for no more than an hour before she was awake, tossing and turning. She tossed the blankets off of her heated body then burrowed back under them ten minutes later. She went from her side, to her back, back to her side then huffed out her agitation before exiting the bed. She moved to the books that'd caught her attention before. Her finger pressed along the spines before picking one up. Flipping through it in the dark she saw it outlined some techniques. Maybe this was worth looking at? Considering she had a sword she needed to get the hang of now. She tucked the book under her arm then peeked out from the curtain to take in her surroundings. The whole lair was quiet save for some snores coming from the direction of the other turtles' rooms. Easing her way down the stairs she decided to explore some more. She passed a half-pipe used for skateboarding as well as the large monitors used for television and the super computer. Peeking around one corner she saw Donatello, asleep, arms folded over on his desk so that he could rest his head on them. Not wanting to wake someone sleeping without knowing what they'd do to her, she left. She knew that if someone tried to wake her up while in blissful sleep she'd tear their head off then feed it to the nearest wild animal.

She passed through the small kitchen without a second glance. It was a typical kitchenette and nothing out of the ordinary save for the vast amount of cereal on the shelves. It wasn't until she got to what she considered a training room that she started to become quite impressed. The mats below her feet were cushioned, yet firm enough to hurt if she landed hard upon the surface. Keeping herself from face planting on the floor and enduring a little pain was enough incentive for her to train her hardest and have her opponent on the floor instead. There were a couple practice dummies that had some holes in them as well as heavy punching bags hanging from stands as well as resting on floor stands. Wooden poles of various heights to practice what Alice figured to be balance were in one corner while a large set of weights were in another. Finally, on one wall, was an assortment of weapons. Swords like katanas and ninjaken were resting innocently in their sheaths while throwing stars and sai gleamed dangerously even in the dark. Nunchaku, bo staffs, daggers, hand claws, as well as the sickle throwing thing that she couldn't remember the name of were displayed… These guys had everything!

Where the hell did they get it? Some of the weapons on the wall would sell for a nice chunk of change. If they stole it, Alice was having a nice long '_conversation_' with Raphael about a pot and kettle.

Finding her way back to the kitchen she found the digital clock on the coffeemaker that read four thirty in the morning. Knowing that she wasn't going to fall asleep she easily found the grounds and started a pot of coffee. She was happy to see they preferred the bold flavors and while the coffee percolated she opened the book and started reading it. She did her best to focus on the pages and study some of the pictures, the scent of coffee teasing her with each page. With another thought she placed the book by the machine and ran back to her room. She took off the shirt she slept in and put on a sports bra and a black tank. She also slipped on her favorite Yankee's jersey, buttoning it up for some extra warmth to go along with the one pair of thick socks she'd brought along. Digging further into her bag she found her phone and laptop and brought them both to the kitchen. She paused in the doorway when seeing Donatello, steaming cup of coffee in his hands, sitting at the table.

"You're up early," he said when she finally moved setting her stuff on the table.

"Couldn't really sleep," she answered grabbing one of the mugs she saw in an open cupboard. She gestured to the coffee. "You mind?"

"By all means," said Donatello, gesturing toward her with his mug. "Go ahead."

As she filled her cup his curious gaze went over the phone and laptop.

"Have you used them yet?"

"No," she answered, putting the pot back before leaning up against the counter to take her first sip of coffee.

"Good. In case Karai has her men tracking your data footprint, I'd like to scramble your phone signal so that your number can't be traced as well as your computer."

"Don't worry Donatello, I've taken the necessary precautions to enable the safety of my whereabouts."

"Know your way around a computer, huh?" He then made a face and shifted uncomfortably in his chair while she smirked. "I… suppose you do…"

"Worried I might steal all your secrets, Donatello?" she asked in a teasing manner enjoying the small amount of discomfort on his face while sipping her coffee.

"No. It's just… I'm sorry. This is just going to get some getting used to on my part. No offense to you its just... We usually put thieves in jail…"

"But I'm all special and stuff," she said with a grin, taking the book she'd borrowed and setting it by her computer before taking a seat at the table.

"Right…" He smiled, albeit a little uneasily. She continued to drink her coffee, looking nothing like the threat Raphael deemed her to be in her current state. The nonchalant way she sat in the chair, hair slightly rumpled, had her look almost innocent in a way save for the scar on her lip. He noticed she had a book from Leo's room. One he'd read often in the lair on their off days. A part of him wanted to snatch it away from her and put it back into the room that'd become almost like a shrine. Instead, he moved his eyes to the laptop. "Would you mind if I double check your safety precautions?"

"Don't trust me?" she asked, slowly setting her cup down and opening her laptop.

"No! I mean, yes! I… I just want to make sure."

"I get it, calm the babble," she said teasingly, making him blush slightly. She trailed her finger over the touchpad and a few clicks as well as keystrokes later she was twisting her computer around to face him. He leaned forward, face turning from puzzled to awed: eyes widening when taking in the multi-screens streaming constant data. "You approve?"

"This is amazing! How did you come up with this?" he asked, totally forgetting everything negative he said about her while getting a nerdy hard-on for her software.

"A year ago a fellow thief managed to hack my system and not only steal the schematics I had for future jobs, but also contacts they managed to sway to their service. Grand finale? An A-Bomb of a virus that totally short circuited my computer, rendering it useless."

"Ouch," said Donatello, wincing.

"I got my revenge three months later stealing a 50 million dollar painting right from under his nose and selling it to the highest bidder."

Donatello couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his mouth as he slid her computer back to her. Alice joined in the laughter, closing her laptop before reaching her phone. She frowned when seeing three missed calls from her sister and made a note to call her at a more reasonable hour. It was probably just to chastise her for her occupational choices again and she wasn't in the mood to hear it because perhaps if she WASN'T a thief she wouldn't be in the pickle she was in now. She tilted her head to the side when hearing a low, thumping sound approaching from behind her. Donatello sat up straighter in his chair as the final thump, the sound of wood hitting concrete, sounded in the doorway.

"Good morning, Sensei," said Donatello.

"Good morning my son," greeted the rat as he slowly made his way to a free chair. Donatello quickly vacated his seat and started a pot of tea on the stove. Splinter smiled his thanks. "You are both up early."

"I couldn't sleep. New places usually keep me awake for a while," explained Alice, grabbing for the book again, and both Splinter and Donatello looked at the book in slight yearning.

"Understandable," said Splinter, casting a worried look at his son. Since Leo's departure he'd taken on the role of leader the best way that he could. It often led to sleepless nights. "Donatello?"

"I was on my way to my room to catch a few more winks of sleep when I smelled coffee. I decided I wanted that more than sleep."

"Sorry," said Alice.

"No worries. If I'm tired I can take a nap after training." It was a lie. He'd probably be up to well past midnight. But Splinter didn't comment. "It's fine."

"You will be joining us?" asked Splinter.

"Yeah," said Donatello. "It's been too long."

"Agreed. I believe I made an error in judgment giving all my sons the right to choose whether they wanted to train or not. Though today will be more centered toward the mind than the physical body, I will not stop you if you should decide to do morning katas then spar with your brother."

"Raph?" asked Donatello, looking a little nervous.

"No, Dude, me!" said a cheery Michelangelo who darted to the refrigerator for some orange juice. Splinter had heard him coming. 

"Mikey! You're up! And the sun isn't even up yet…"

"I'm too pumped. I'm SO ready to see her in action," said Mikey, punching the air. "After what Raph and her said I'm ready to see some fireworks."

"Not literally I hope," said Donatello. "We once had the emergency sprinklers go off when I accidentally set my lab on fire. It took us days to clean everything up."

"Yeah, totally short circuited all my video game consoles too," said Mikey with a pout.

"We will be working more in matter of the mind," rasped Splinter as Donatello put his first cup of tea in front of him. "To calm the power within her, perhaps help Miss. Alice in the process of accepting this joining."

"Anything to keep me from bursting into flames would be a great help," said Alice.

"I plan on also testing your endurance and ability in other areas than just the mind, if you will allow me to."

Alice smiled, her eyes meeting Splinters. "Hit me with your best shot."

.

.

.

Alice fought the desire to yawn for the tenth time. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there, cross-legged with her eyes closed, trying to empty her mind. Small things would distract her. The sounds of footsteps, the water rushing though one of the pipes, or a clearing of a throat: but now that Mikey and Donatello were sparring it was even harder to concentrate. Well, that, and the desperate need she had in her gut to take hold of her sword: which was across her lap as Splinter had instructed. Meditation was never her thing, or yoga, probably due to the fact that since she was a little girl she could never sit still. Sighing deeply she popped open an eye to see that Splinter sat stock-still without even a single hair on his furry body moving. Suddenly, his eyes opened, and she tried to close her eyes, but his barely hidden chuckle let her know she'd been caught. She opened her eyes and gave him an apologetic look but he waved her off before standing and she quickly got to her feet.

"The only one of my sons that have truly done his best to master the art of meditation is Leonardo. Donatello does his best and my other sons… Let's just say that after all these years I'm still trying to teach them. Though I'm certain it is time for me to give up hope."

"Raphael found me," said Alice, unsure as to why she was defending the Watcher.

"Indeed he did," said Splinter with a twitch of his whiskers. "Perhaps there is hope for him after all."

"_Oh, oh, oh!_ Are you done with all that boring meditation stuff?" asked Mikey, suddenly there and bouncing excitedly."Can we start things on fire now?"

Splinter and Donatello shook their heads while Alice just smiled.

"During my meditations I focused on your energy. I will admit that it is dimming in the ways of being obvious that you contain that power. It is still within you, but no longer beckoning to be found as strongly as before."

"Well that's good… Right?" asked Alice.

"Indeed," said Splinter. "Now, I wish to see some of these skills you possess. Michelangelo?"

Michelangelo came forward, slightly tightening his bandana before taking a stance.

"No weapons," said Splinter. "I wish to see the skills you possess without the aid of the sword."

"All right," she said, easing to her feet and sheathing her weapon to her back. She gave Mikey a bright smile of which he returned. His smile fell, however, when she lashed out with a right hook. He easily ducked it, moving quickly out of her way. He bounced on the balls of his feet while she calculated her next move.

"Well what're ya waitin' for?" asked Mikey, his childish air making her roll her eyes.

"Nothing," she answered before quickly twisting to the side, punching first at the side of his head then to the chest area. He blocked each swing as well lifting his leg to block a halfhearted kick aimed at his knee. She thrust her open palm out at him when he made a quip about her being slow and he gave what sounded like a squeal while sailing in the air, landing hard on his shell.

"Ow…" he groaned.

"Are you okay?" asked a panicked Alice, rushing to his side. Donatello was already there, helping him up.

"Peachy," he groaned. "That sure was a wallop of a hit."

"I'm sorry! Really! I didn't know I hit you that hard!" She looked down at her hands. "It must've been my powers activating. I didn't mean for them to."

"Quite impressive," said Splinter. "Are you willing to continue on?"

"Really? Are you sure?" asked Alice. "Not… Mad or anything?"

"Relax Dudette! No harm no foul."

Michelangelo stood up but winced and rubbed his plastron just as Raphael came in.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

"Got the wind knocked outta me by your girlfriend."

"Really?" Raphael's gaze fell upon Alice. Then he frowned and punched Michelangelo in the arm. Not enough to hurt, but it was a warning. "She's NOT my girlfriend."

"Miss Alice has shown that she has incredible strength and I was about to have her demonstrate with Donatello her defensive skills."

"But…" Alice smirked, pulling her Yankee jersey off over her tanned shoulders to reveal her tank top. "I'm willing to take you on instead."

"Oh, really?" He cracked his knuckles. "You sure that's wise? Wouldn't want to make ya cry."

"Oh please," she snorted as they started circling each other. Mikey and Don quickly stepped back, each recognizing the predatory way Raphael was stalking Alice. Funny thing? She seemed to be doing the same to him. Even Splinter faded to the background, curious to see where this would go. "Maybe before you could've had me but now?" She brought up her fists. "Game. ON."

"No weapons?" he asked, making sure he knew the rules of this little game they decided to play.

"None."

"Oh THIS is gunna be fun," he said, eyes gleaming.

"Yeah… Oh, and Raphael?" Fast as lightning she gave a sharp, right jab. He stumbled back, hand going to his chest plates. That'd kinda hurt! His glare deepened as she flexed her hand, smug smirk on her face. "If anyone is going to cry… It's going to be you."

Unbeknownst to them, Raphael's brothers shared a look and took another step back. It was like back in the day when Leo was around and with the way they were eyeing each other like sharks in the water they knew someone was probably going to get hurt.

With a roar, Raphael launched himself at Alice, but where she'd been before, she wasn't. Put off guard he grunted when her knee met the abdominal area of his plastron, making him wince but he managed to grab her wrist and twist her arm around so that her back was to his front. She tried to free her wrist but he had a good grip on it so she brought her foot up and hooked it around his knee and pulled it forward as she leaned back. While falling his grip on her wrist loosened and she managed to roll away and get back to her feet. Raphael flipped back to his feet and once again they were circling each other.

"MAN I wish I had some popcorn," grumbled Mikey as Alice performed an aerial kick that Raphael barely managed to block before her foot hit his head. She performed a beat down on pectorals before he finally managed to grip her and flip her onto her back. He tried to land a punch while she was on the ground but she twisted her body to the side and all he got was the mat. "This is as entertaining as when Leo was around."

"Mmm…" Donatello was leaning on his bo staff, studying the sparring couple. "It seems that the more agitated and into the battle she gets the faster she is and the harder she hits."

"Really?" asked Mikey who then winced when Raphael got a particularly nasty uppercut to his jaw, but that didn't deter him from landing a kick square to her chest, making HER be the one landing harshly on the back. "Hm."

She rolled back onto her heels and with a yell launched herself at him.

"Oh shell!" yelped Donatello as a fireball formed on her hand. The sparring ceased immediately as they all came forward. Raphael was panting, trying to catch his breath while Alice was staring intently at her hand. "Does it hurt?"

"No," she said, perplexed. Mikey reached out to touch it and yelped as the flame burned his flesh.

"Concentrate on the flame," said Splinter. "Close your eyes and calm your thoughts to extinguish it."

Alice did just that. She could feel the heat on her skin and she took steady breaths, thinking cool thoughts. When the heat was suddenly gone she opened her eyes to see nothing but skin.

"Now… Try to bring it back."

"Oh. Um. All right."

The turtles watched in fascination as she tried. They jumped as a small flicker of flame formed on her hand but quickly dimmed. She growled in frustration and tried again and again. When her agitation and anger grew the flame would last longer.

"It seems your emotions are a tether to your powers," said Splinter.

"Hmm… so I have to be pissed to be able to fry something."

"So it seems."

"So… I need to work on that?"

"Indeed."

"By… Meditation?"

He smiled, she groaned, and the turtles all felt a small amount of sympathy for her.

.

.

.

"Hungry?"

"Starved," said Alice as Michelangelo settled next to her on the sofa. He handed her a plate of pepperoni pizza as well as one of the cans of soda he had stored under his arm on the way out. Putting his plate on his lap he popped open his soda then flicked on the television. The news was on and his current hero was plastered all over it. Nightwatcher! Man was he cool. Doing what they used to do and kicking the bad guys asses to the curb! It made him want to get back out there and start patrolling again.

"Man I love this guy!"

"Oh yeah?" asked Alice around a bite of pizza.

"Yeah! He does what we used to do. Protect the good guys by beating the pulp out of the bad ones."

"Don't find him a little… Extreme?" 

Michelangelo shrugged, taking a large bite of his own pizza while his blue eyes took in the story on the screen. Alice studied him and had to admit she was a little surprised he had no idea that the Watcher was his brother. The photos people took of him, upon studying them now, clearly made it look like there was a large turtle under that suit.

"Maybe… Tho if he doesn't do it, who is? I've been tempted to go out there but…" He shrugged. They way his eyes drifted to Raphael's room, Alice then had to wonder if maybe this turtle knew a lot more than he was letting on. "Splinter told us not to."

"Its hard for me to believe someone who trained you all your lives would suddenly bench all three of you when one left."

"I don't mind. The break is kinda nice and I like being able to walk around topside as Cowabunga Carl."

"I bet," said Alice as he changed the channel once the news story was done. "How long has he been gone?"

When no answer came she fixed her brown eyes on him once more to see his sad face looking down at his plate of cooling pizza.

"Forget it," she said, putting her hand on his arm, giving it a gentle rub. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

"No, no, its ok." He shrugged. "Been too long. He was supposed to come back after six months but… Its been a little over a year. I know he's doing this to better the team but…" Mikey then sighed. "To be honest? It hasn't been that fun around here anymore. Till you got here. You got us all back in the training room today. It was nice."

Mikey ended the topic by taking a large bite of his pizza, a large swig of his soda, and belching so loud and fierce Alice swore the sofa shook. Knowing when someone was done talking about something she settled back on the cushions and groaned when seeing a furry creature on the screen.

"Gremlins? Seriously?"

"This is a classic!"

"I want to see something blow up!"

"Yeah. Ok, Raph!"

"Argh, don't compare me to that Lame-Brain!" His silence had her looking at him again. His blue eyes were wide and filled with mirth. "What?"

"You two are SO alike its almost scary."

"Are not!"

"Are too! Seriously scary… Like Gremlins. Can we watch it?" He batted his eyes at her and gave her his best begging look ever. "Please?"

"Whatever." She bumped his shoulder with her own. "If you want to watch Gremlins, we can watch Gremlins."

Mikey filed another thing away. It wasn't just Raphael that was susceptible to the puppy dog eyes… Seemed like Alice had that weakness as well. Speaking of… Mikey wondered just where his brother was…

.

.

.

The last goon groaned while slowly sliding to the ground. Raphael dusted off his hands before reaching into a compartment and pulling out zip-ties to bind them all together into one collective group. The sound of sirens had him hustling and soon he was speeding through the city. Lights, pedestrians, and cars blurred as he picked up speed, getting as much distance between him and the cops as possible. He drove at breakneck speeds until he came to one of his favorite spots. He could see the lights of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges from here. He pulled off his helmet, cut the engine, and sat. It was quiet enough, the sound of traffic barely reaching his ears. He kept the radio on in case something major happened but he needed this time to think of what had happened earlier in the day.

He had held back, a little, but he could tell in her eyes that she'd been holding back as well. She'd been scared to hurt him. Probably because of the major hit she'd given Mikey. He knew it was an accident but a small part of him wanted to get her back for hurting his little brother. That was the part of him that still scared him to this day because he didn't know what it would do if he let it out. Which… Was why he chose this time to meditate. He couldn't do it at home. Not with Splinter and Michelangelo around. Don would leave well enough alone but his youngest brother and who he considered father would ask questions. Questions that he wasn't ready to answer yet. He knew he was slowly spiraling out of control, that this fire inside of him was growing to dangerously large proportions. Meditating was helping, but not enough. He'd lost control, once, and had almost seriously injured Mikey. Hell, he could've almost killed him. Meditation helped eliminate some of the anger but the longer Leo stayed the way, and the more bad guys that chose to step up to him, he was far from out of the red zone. He only hoped that the day he finally snapped. He wouldn't hurt someone he truly cared about.

_Dispatch... Armed robbery in progress... Three men armed and dangerous._

"No rest for the wicked," muttered Raphael, slipping his helmet back on then starting up the engine with a promise to return later.

.

.

.

Splinter beckoned his guest to enter. It was Alice.

"Hey." She gave a nervous wave and Splinter knew she was about to ask a favor. "So… I have a favor to ask you."

"Yes?"

"I need some more stuff that I didn't grab the first time. With you saying I'm no longer a beacon screaming HERE I AM… Can I go get it? Basic stuff like thicker socks and sweatshirts… I'm willing to sneak a trip to the store and pick up some munchies to help pay for my stay here."

"You are under no obligation to pay us back for-"

"I know. I still want to." She smiled. "Can I?"

"Of course…" She smiled brightly. Splinter was a lot easier to convince than she thought. "Raphael knows where you live. I'd suggest taking his motorcycle to your place and then to the store closest to our sewer entrance." She frowned. "Something the matter?"

"Can I ask Mikey? Or… Don?"

"Are you uncomfortable with asking my son for a favor?" he asked, whiskers twitching. He'd noticed the fired between the two of them and perhaps he was playing matchmaker. Ah, certainly her past was a factor, but he could see she was a good soul. Kind beneath the tough exterior. Just like his son.

"Well… See…" She rubbed the back of her neck, doing her best the find the words. He saw the blush and the inner romantic part of him that loved soap operas rejoiced a little. "The thing is..."

"Ah…" Splinter held up a wrinkled paw, putting her out of her misery. For now. "As the Watcher, he has encountered you before. Now that you are in his home it is… Different."

"Raph? Watcher? Really? That's…That's…" She sighed. "You know?"

"A father always knows…" he said, tapping his temple with his clawed finger.

"You would think. Honestly? Not so much with us humans."

"I can feel the hatred for your father," said Splinter, making her look down. "He was not there for you?"

"At first." She shrugged, then looked up at him, fingertip tracing the scar on her lip. "He turned into an abusive asshole who liked the bottle and showing me who was in charge."

"I am sorry," he said and the sympathy in his eyes made her look away and hug herself.

"Yeah, well, if he wasn't like that then I wouldn't be the awesome, butt kicking person I am today…"

Splinter clasped his hand-like paws together. He studied her and felt sympathy for the little girl that had to endure what she was put through. The scar on her lip, though small, was a constant reminder to her that her father wasn't there in the way he should have been and Splinter knew that if that man were in front of him right now he'd discipline him on his course of action when it came to his daughter.

"I do wish for you to go with Raphael. If there is trouble he is the one that has remained in shape and the one I wouldn't fear falling in battle as I would the others."

"Ok. I'll tell him you told me to tell him he had to do it… OK?"

Splinter merely nodded. It wasn't until she was out of the room that he let the breath he'd been holding out. Perhaps, with his guidance, he'd show her what a true fatherly figure was like… He would ponder that thought, while watching his soap operas he'd recorded earlier in the day.

.

.

.

Raphael growled in irritation when seeing Alice leaning against a stack of crates while the door to the garage opened. He hadn't gotten a chance to make it back to his meditation place. The sun was close to rising and he was dead tired. He was also strung up tighter than a violin string and anything would make him snap. Seeing her standing there, bright smile on her face, let him know something was up and he was NOT in the mood to deal with her. He parked his bike, turned it off, and dismounted. He ignored her while taking off the gear.

"Hey, Buddy," she said to break the silence, making him pause in placing his helmet in the metal storage locker. "I have a favor. Splinter already okayed it. In fact he said you HAVE to help me."

"With what?" he growled through gritted teeth.

"I need some stuff from my place. I'm freezing my ass off down there. Also, to THANK you for your hospitality I was going to get some stuff to make dinner."

"YOU cook?" he asked, snorting at her affirmative nod. "Of course you do."

"LOOK…" She stopped herself, took a long DEEP breath, then continued. "Can we please just do this?"

"Karai is watching your place. How much money you got?"

"How is that ANY of your business?" she asked.

"We can just go buy you some new stuff no where near your place. There's a twenty-four hour store couple-a-miles away." He turned to look at her and noticed she was wearing the same thing she wore the night he brought her here. Tight, black jeans hugged her legs and her jacket was zipped all the way up. Her hair was tied up in one of those loose bun things April liked to wear so much. "Deal?"

"But… I have to make sure…" She bit her bottom lip and he crossed his arms over his plastron. "I mean…"

"You wanna make sure your loot is still secure."

"Yes!"

"Aha… no," he said flatly.

"Raph!" she whined, bottom lip sticking out, and his eyes traveled to it before quickly looking back up at her eyes. They were a lot safer to look at. Barely. 

"Store. Take it or leave it." 

"Argh!" He could tell she was fighting the urge to hit him. "Fine!"

"Good." Surprisingly, seeing her this pissed helped cheer him up a bit. He turned to another locker and pulled out large jeans, biker boots, as well as his own leather jacket that covered up his shell. Turning back around he narrowed his eyes upon her when seeing her eyes traveling over him. "What?"

"Nothing," she said innocently, biting her bottom up and rocking on the heels of her feet.

"Right." He found and tossed an extra helmet April sometimes used on missions at her. "Wear that. I'm tired and want to make it back here as soon as possible to find my bed."

"This is a yes?" She pursed her lips and furrowed her brows in question. "Why?"

"Because Splinter asked me to. Now we gunna talk or go?"

"Go."

She waited for him to get on the bike before straddling the seat behind him. She automatically wrapped her arms around him the best she could and he ignored the little voice in his head that said the heat of her body on his felt good. Instead he drove her to the store, waiting outside with his helmet on while she got some things (including a backpack she stuffed it all into), then rode back with her. After storing his stuff away and slipping on the familiar bandana, he was aware of her waiting for him and together they walked back to the elevator.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," he said, pulling down the metal cage before initializing the elevator. Her hand on his arm made his amber eyes connect with her green.

Hm... For some reason he thought she had _brown_ eyes before...

"Seriously. You could have said no."

"Like I said," he said, stepping away from her, feeling awkward. "Don't mention it."

"Are you uncomfortable around me?" she asked, hand now on her hip as she canted her head to the side to study him.

"No!" he said, the denial to fast and quick.

"Oh really?" She took a step forward, he moved back, and his shell clanged against the metal surface of the moving elevator. "Hm. Thought so."

Wanting to prove her wrong he walked to her. She stood her ground, which he hadn't been expecting, so he took it up a notch by brushing his body up against hers. Her eyes were filled with stubbornness, ready to take on this new challenge of his. Neither of them noticed that the elevator wasn't moving as she slid her hand up the front of his body, fingertips and her palm trailing over the various plates. His eyes darkened considerably with that move and his own hands went right to her ass, throwing his cards on the table to scare her off. To get her to stop playing these damn games with his head. Pulling her body in tighter against his, his three fingered hands rubbing her bottom, he noticed that her eyes became slightly hooded. He started to feel a familiar pressure in his lower plates as she rubbed her body against them and he bit his tongue to ward off the moan building at the back of his throat. So this wasn't what he was expecting. Sure, they'd flirted before, but that was BEFORE she knew he was a large turtle. Her pressing further into him was a giant surprise. 

"Next move is yours."

He didn't recognize his own voice. It was husky, deeper, and filled with lust. His eyes zeroed in on her lips as her tongue came out to moisten them. His breathing increased and a drumming in his ears blocked out all sound. He felt that small part of him awakening slightly and this was the first time in his entire life he had the desire to HAVE a female. Her hands came to his face, cupping his cheeks and his eyes drooped slightly but he forced them open. He still didn't trust her… For all he knew she was doing this just to play him in the end. Use him to get what her thieving hands wanted then dump him and his family the first chance she got. He refused to allow himself to become vulnerable with her… but that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun.

"Do you want to kiss me, Raphael?" she asked coyly, biting her bottom lip while trailing her booted foot up his leg.

He didn't answer, instead keeping his eyes focused on the scar of her lip. He wanted to know how she got it. Curiosity only killed cats, right? _Buh_, he'd leave the deep thinking to Donnie… Instead, he chose to move one hand up her body, keeping the other firmly placed on her ass, and entangled his thick, green fingers in her hair to loosen up the style she'd put it in. She leaned forward and soon her lips were on his. It was… Nice. He felt her lips move over his, exploring, as if getting the feel of him. Not having kissed a woman before he had no idea what the hell he was doing. His mouth was larger than hers, he felt awkward as she slid her flesh over and around his and almost jumped when feeling her tongue glance once then twice over his now parted lips before entangling it with his. Growling he walked forward, making her feet scramble before her back connected with the elevator wall. She moaned into his mouth and he rubbed his lower plates more intimately between her legs. Fuck he wanted her. He wanted to peel off every piece of clothing she wore and fuck her against the wall of the elevator. He wanted to rub his scent on her and taste every inch of her from her neck to her breasts to between her legs. His hand tightened on her hair slightly as he angled her head a different way and deepened the kiss. One of her legs moved up then tightened just under his shell, pulling him in against her. Her eyes fluttered closed but he'd seen the hot lust in her gaze and the animal in him roared to have her but he pushed it back and locked it away. It took everything in him to halt their kiss. Both of them were panting for breath and he had to release her now otherwise he'd keep her here the rest of the night. He stepped back and missed her warmth instantly. Her eyes reopened and against he saw the lust and her lips were swollen and---FUCK. He rubbed the back of his neck to keep at least one hand busy... Though he knew that same hand would be busy later in the privacy of his room.

"Huh…" She looked like she was thinking about something really hard. His eyes drifted down from her swollen lips and then lower to her chest. The jacket had been unzipped prior to the kiss, the tops of her breasts were visible from the tank top. Her skin was flushed there while she tried to catch her breath. "That was…"

She didn't finish her thought. A part of him wished she had. Instead he decided now was a good time to escape and whipped open the elevator, which was feeling a lot like a cage at this moment, and stomped toward his room before his dick decided to embarrass him.

"Raphael?" He stilled but didn't look back. If he did he'd go right back into that damn elevator and have her up against that wall again. He felt her walk toward him and tensed as her hand slid from his shoulder down his arm. His body betrayed him by shivering slightly. "I know you want to kiss me again."

"Psh…" He acted nonchalant.

"Hm…" She got into his space again and he didn't fight it. He put his hands on her hips because once again the heat came. "I think you want me as much as I want you…"

"Yer dreamin'," he said, even though his thumbs were now sliding over her exposed skin at her sides. It was her turn to shiver and he decided to be weak for just one moment and nuzzled into the hair at the side of her head to take in her scent. 

"Am I?" She brushed her heated cheek over his cooler one and his insides tightened and warmed. Inside his shell, pressure heightened as she practically panted in his ear while trailing her fingers to dangerously low areas on his shell. "We'll see who breaks first."

Then she was gone, leaving Raphael _beyond_ sexually frustrated.

**TBC**….


	4. Chapter 4

Note: This is the chapter I introduced Eve. Her features kinda remind me of Emily Blunt. Also, because I was obsessed with her, Alice took after Eliza Dushku! :)

.

.

.

Ritz was starting to get impatient. He's been waiting for this night for a long time and two hours have already passed and he had yet to find himself a suitable victim. He was a Purple Dragon recruit and tonight they all had to find someone to mug and whoever got the biggest loot didn't have to sleep with the dogs that night. Huddling deeper into his bomber jacket, he tucked his bare hands into the pockets to ward off the chill. He didn't even remember to grab a hat and so his bald head was freezing. He sneezed and cursed the colder weather that hit New York City. They were supposed to get freezing rain earlier in the night and he didn't want to be out on the streets for that shit. Thoughts of his Grandmother's jewelry swam in the back of his head but he brushed it away. No way in hell would he rob his own granny. He wasn't that large of an asshole. 

His eyes took in the pedestrians around him and he sighed. Most of them were hookers that were off limits as well as their customers. There was a woman rushing home with a crying infant in one arm and a bag of groceries in another and his stomach dropped at the thought of mugging her. It was something Sal or Lenny would probably do but he couldn't hold someone with a baby at knifepoint. Call him a pussy, but even HE had some morals. He grew a little excited when seeing a woman take the corner with her head down. He saw a white purse slung over a fragile shoulder and knew that he had to take her on. Looking left then right to make sure there weren't too many people who would talk to the cops he slunk behind her until making it to an alleyway. He grabbed her elbow from behind and turned her into the shadow's until her back was against the cold brick. Her wide, blue eyes met his and his own eyes widened when seeing her messed up face. Her one eye was black and blue and she was hyperventilating. His hand felt wet, and he knew it wasn't spit, it was the warm feel of blood coming from her mouth. This woman had just gotten the shit kicked out of her and her shiny diamond covered fingers were at his wrist, trying to pull away.

"Man you're messed up." She stilled as he brought the knife he'd been carrying away from her throat. "Listen, I hate to have to do this but i gotta. Initiation thing. How about you give me that pretty ring and I'll let ya walk away unharmed."

"No," she rasped and his eyes traveled to her throat to see it bruised. "He'll be mad."

"Husband?" She shook her head. "Fiance?"

She looked away and he sighed deeply. What the fuck was he doing, talking to her like this? He should just demand her stuff then go, but... Something stopped him. Probably because she had red hair like his mother and the same black eye that his old man had given her before she ran away with him to his uncles. Not that he'd been much better. This woman was much older, but looked the same. Shit.

"No dude is worth this shit," he spat, making her jump. She was skittish. Like a damn horse, or whatever. "You want me to feel sorry for you? I can't. Especially if you go back to the prick. Grow some balls, Lady, and leave his ass before he sends you to the grave. My old man did the same to my moms. And almost to me before my uncle shot and killed him."

"I..." She looked down. "I have no where to go."

"Not my problem," he said, yanking on her rings, making her cry out and he took her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. "This what ya want? A life where a man takes whatever he wants from ya and not care? You wanna be a punching bag? Wake the fuck up lady!" Tears started falling down her face, her sobs choking her, and he chose to ignore them because he had some toughening up to do as well. He was gunna be a Dragon, dammit. He was gunna make it big and roll in the dough. "Crying ain't gunna make it better."

He stepped away from her, rings in hand, and watched as she sunk to the alley floor. He ran a hand over his head before speaking again.

"I have a friend from high school. Dee. She's got her head on straight. Not into the shit I'm into. We... Used to hang out. She can help ya. It's up to you now. Either go back to the dickwad that did this or get help from Dee. She's on 12th and Edmund. Tell her Ritz sent ya. Not my real name but she'll know who yer talkin' about and if ya call the cops on me and try to get her to tell them who I am she'll just lie so don't do something stupid like that."

With that he walked away, never to see her again, hoping that she made the right choice and didn't end up dead in a basement like his mom did.

.

.

.

Eve Reynolds took a long sip of her coffee while her eyes traveled over the '_Help Wanted_' ads in the paper. She had a red marker in the hand that wasn't holding the coffee as she stood at the counter of her one bedroom apartment. She put her coffee mug down on the marble countertop before circling an ad. Sighing, she pulled off her glasses then rubbed her tired eyes before looking at the clock. It was midnight, and she had to be at work in six hours, but she wasn't tired. Today had been a hectic day, mainly because she had run into her ex after being away from him for two years. It'd luckily been no where near her apartment but instead the store where she'd been shopping for a new pair of jeans to treat herself. She had stood there, frozen, while his calculating eyes took her in. Victor had the audacity to actually smile at her and ask her how she'd been while keeping a firm grip on the arm of his newest play thing. Eve had said she was fine then said she was late for an appointment and had walked away. She had felt his cold eyes on her back the whole time she'd walked down the block and when she took the corner she'd ran until catching the first taxi she could to her apartment.

Two years ago a troublesome boy had knocked some sense into her and though she hadn't gone to the Dee person he'd told her to run to, she'd taken refuge in a shelter for women like her. She didn't have parents to call, they'd died in a horrific car accident when she was nineteen. They had rented a high rise apartment that she couldn't afford and their other properties were auctioned off to pay their massive debt that she hadn't known about. However, the government couldn't touch her trust fund. So she'd stayed at the shelter, then gotten a job at a local daycare. When she'd been able to gain access to her account when she turned twenty-one, she moved out of the horrendous efficiency apartment that'd been infested with rats and moved into a nicer building that had hot water 24/7. Her parents had left her a generous amount of money that would cover all her expenses and enable her to live comfortably the rest of her life, but Eve wasn't someone that liked to sit around and do nothing. She still worked at the daycare, though she looked through the ads to see if there was something else that interested her. She liked working with the kids but there were days that she found herself looking for a new job when a child got on her nerves... Though by the next morning she usually ended up tossing the ads away and going back to the daycare. Sighing once more she moved away from the counter then dumped out her coffee into the sink. She paused when her phone vibrated on the counter and picked it up then smiled when seeing her neighbor texting her.

_A- Sorry, won't be able to make our weekly jogging appointment  
_ _E- Why not?  
_ _A- That freak quake we had knocked out all my windows ... staying with friends.'  
_ _E- I had no idea. u ok?  
_ _A-Yeah. Wasn't around._

It hurt a little that Alice wouldn't turn to her for help. Eve thought them to be friends. She bit her bottom lip, tempted to just put her phone down, then remembered that she wasn't five. Alice could have other friends than her. Besides, her apartment, tho nice: wouldn't be that comfortable for two people who weren't a couple. It was cozy and after her ex she really did like her space. So she sent the text message she wanted to send because she really did need her friend right now.

_E- I saw Vic today._  
  
Eve slumped down on her plump chair, leg dangling over the arm as she bit her bottom lip. Other than the women in the shelter, Alice was the only other person she talked to about Victor. Her and Alice had met when Eve moved in. Eve had been struggling with the chair she was currently sitting in and Alice managed to be there and help her out. To thank her, Eve had invited her over for some pizza and beer. One morning both had left to go for a jog and since then they had a weekly jogging appointment to vent out their frustrations. Alice talked briefly about her father, while Eve spoke mostly of the damage Vic had done.

_A- FUCK ru ok?  
E- _ _I'm ok. He didn't follow me. I think. I'm paranoid now that he'll find me here...  
_ _A- U want me to be there?  
_ _E- I'm not a baby. We have secured entry and even if he snuck in here i have three locks on my doors.  
_ _A- fuck it. i'll be in the park at the usual time. will make it work. cu 2morro. we will jog then pig out after.  
_ _E- u sure?  
_ _A- yep. cu soon!_

Eve sighed as she got up from the chair then turned out all the lights. A trip to the bathroom later she was in her sleeping shorts and a NIKE t-shirt. Slipping in the sheets of her bed she leaned back against the pillows. She looked up at the ceiling, the lights of the city making it blue and pink instead of white. She tried closing her eyes but every time she did she saw Vic. When her clock read five, she knew she wasn't going to sleep, so she got out of bed and headed to the coffeemaker to energize herself not only for her half-day at work, but for her jogging session with Alice.

.

.

.

"Fuck," muttered Alice, rubbing her eyes while dropping her phone to the table.

"Something the matter?" asked Donatello, making her jump since she hadn't heard him come in.

"Yeah. Friend of mine ran into her nasty ex today. He's a real piece of work, that one. Spooked her a bit."

"Hmm." Donatello frowned as he sat at the table. "You think she's in some kind of trouble?"

"I don't know," said Alice, leaning back in her chair. "I'm seeing her tomorrow."

"You sure that's wise?" asked Don, not sure how Raph or his father would feel about Alice leaving the lair.

"She's the one and only friend I have, Don," said Alice. "It's one afternoon. Splinter even said that I'm not registering as much as I used to with the whole power level thing."

"Yeah, but..." He broke off his sentence at her glare. "At least let me know where you're going?"

"We jog at Central. Then go to a coffee shop after and pig out on their éclairs."

"Ah."

"What?" she asked.

"You work off the calories before you eat them?"

"Yep. Gotta keep my body fit when I decide to pollute it with the evil thing known as calories," she said teasingly while patting her belly.

"Right. Well," he said, getting up from his chair. "Good luck tomorrow."

"Mhm. Don?"

"Yeah?" he asked, stilling in the doorway and looking back at her.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" asked Alice, biting her lip worriedly.

"Uh... Sure?" he answered, sorta in a questioning tone, because he wasn't used to giving criminals favors. Okay, well, Alice has yet to do anything to break the pact that'd been set for allowing her to stay in their home but that didn't mean he could fully trust her. He knew Raph was in the same boat as him. Mikey adored her, which was troubling. However, when seeing the concern she had for her friend he relented a little. But only a little.

"Ok I'm computer smart when it comes to like techy things like passwords and stuff but... The whole hacking thing? Not so much."

"And you want me to..."

"Find everything you can on someone named Victor Wendt."

"Ah... is this the ex?"

"Yeah. I know we don't know each other well and I'm the last person to ask any of you for another favor but... It would mean a lot to me. I'd owe you one."

"I'll see what I can find," said Donatello, wanting to know a little more himself, because if Alice got involved with this then he knew Raph would probably want to get involved, too.

"Thanks, I really do owe you one," said Alice, getting up from her chair and patting him on the shoulder before exiting the kitchen to her temporary room to read more of those books on Leo's shelves.

.

.

.

Eve smiled and waved when seeing Alice waiting for her in their usual meeting place. It was a beautiful, sunny day with higher than average temperatures that enabled them to wear t-shirts with their jogging pants instead of sweatshirts. Winter was just around the corner so they were going to take advantage of the warmer days before the snow hit them hard. Though Eve had to admit she didn't mind winter. Sure the cold sucked but seeing New York blanketed in white was just serene. It seemed like everything was quieter during the winter, too.

"How are you?" asked Alice, standing up to assess her friend. She wasn't the hugging type and often avoided physical contact (other than sex) at all costs but if Eve needed it she'd step out of her comfort zone and give a hug if it was needed.

"I'm good," said Eve, waving her off. "Didn't sleep at all last night, though."

"I can tell," said Alice with an evil smirk.

"Thanks," said Eve, subconsciously running a hand through her ponytail.

"Well lets just run and tire you out some more and then you might be able to sleep tonight," said Alice with a grin, making Eve laugh lightly.

The redhead and brunette then stretched for a few minutes before starting out with the numerous other joggers in the park. For once, they didn't talk, just pounded the pavement with their shoes. They made it around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir twice before stopping near a cluster of trees, leaning against them to catch their breath. Well, Eve was trying to catch her breath, Alice looked nothing like someone who had run a little over three miles.

"Geez Alice," panted Eve. "You been jogging a lot more often or what?"

"I..." Alice shrugged her shoulders, knowing exactly why it was she wasn't winded. "I guess my body is just used to it?"

"Are you even sweating?!"

"Yeah!" Alice touched her forehead lightly with a small frown. "A little..."

"Ugh..." Eve stretched her cramping leg. "Let's just go get a doughnut."

"Yeah," said Alice as her phone rang. She looked down at it and smirked. "Oh, this is gunna be good."

Eve gave Alice a questioning look but Alice just held up a finger before answering her phone, a bright smile on her face. She mentally thanked Donatello for programming all the the turtles' numbers into it.

"Hello, lover," purred Alice, making Eve's eyes widen in understanding. She hadn't known Alice was seeing someone and was a little put off that she hadn't told her. But only a little.

"Where the hell are you?"growled Raphael on the other line.

"Out for a jog with a friend. How are you this fine morning, Babe? Sleep well?"

"Get. Back. NOW." 

Oh, he was mad. Really, _really_ mad. And she loved it. 

"Are you worried about lil 'ole me?" asked Alice with a smile on her face, a smile Eve had never really seen before, and she was definitely going to be asking her questions later.

"I ain't messin' around here!" he shouted and she laughed. 

"Baby, if you miss me SO much, just say so."

"Yer just askin' fer it," he muttered. 

"Hmm," said Alice as her and Eve hit 5th Ave. "Yes. Yes I am. So I'm going to finish my girl time here with Eve and I PROMISE I'll make it up to you."

Alice heard the shaky intake of breath on the other line and fought the urge to pump her fist in the air. She was breaking him. She knew it. She totally had this challenge of theirs in the bag and she was about to close the deal when a strong grip took her by the upper arm. It was Eve, and her face was white and her blue eyes wide as they stared at something. No. _Someone_.

"Eve?" asked Alice, phone still up to her ear. "What's wrong?"

"It's him," whispered Eve, and Alice felt her tremble. "It's Victor."

Alice's head whipped forward and there, standing in the middle of the sidewalk, was a man. He had a closely shaved head and was dressed to impress with a suit that was probably Armani. He had a single piercing from what Alice could see and when looking up into his face, all she saw was blackness in the depths of his eyes. People going around him didn't say a damn thing about his blocking their way because he was that damn intimidating. 

"_Fuck_. Raph? I gotta go."

"Alice? What's goin-"

Alice ended the call then grabbed Eve by the arm. The woman was shaking even more now and Alice looked to the street and cursed when seeing not a single taxi in sight. Luckily there were people all around them so Victor wouldn't do anything in front of all of them. So while he sauntered up to them with a smirk on his face, Alice held her ground while also keeping a hold of Eve.

"Eve. Twice in two days. Perhaps its fate."

"V-Victor..." whispered Eve, looking down, and Alice hated seeing her friend like this. 

"And who is your little friend?" he asked, his narrowed gaze now fixated on her. Alice glared, and kept her shoulders straight. She wouldn't bow down to this asshole. 

"No one you need to worry about, _pal_. We were just leaving."

"So soon?" he asked, voice thick like molasses. A cocky look on his face that made Alice want to smack it right off.

"Listen here, asshole, and listen good." Alice's eyes narrowed. "I don't care who the fuck you are. You have no idea who you are messing with. Leave Eve alone or else."

He laughed. Laughed! "Or else wha-"

He choked on his words as Alice calmly grabbed a hold of his wrist and squeezed. She heard a popping sound and the pain brought the man that was slightly taller than her to his knees. She glared down at him, unknowing of the fact that her eyes turned a dangerous color of red as she spoke.

"Or else I'll kill you," she promised, making his eyes widen with fear. Where her hand was felt like it was searing his skin off. He refused to cry out, though. He wouldn't show weakness to a woman. "Leave her alone. Forget her name. Forget her face. Because the next time you try and see her, I'll be just around the corner waiting to END you. _Capisce_?"

He nodded in agreement and she let go of his wrist. He cradled his injured hand to his chest and stood up. Alice was aware of what looked to be a slight burn on his wrist in the shape of her hand. Good. With one last look at Eve and a glare at Alice, he turned away. Alice looked at her friend, who was still shaking, but looking at Alice in slight... Fear? Awe?

"A-Alice? What just h-happened?"

"I took care of it," said Alice.

"But..."

"I just know a couple moves," said Alice with a shrug. "Let's leave it at that. You all right?"

"Yeah. I mean. I guess." Eve shook her head. "This wasn't a coincidence. Twice in two days? I... I think he k-knows where I live and has been f-following me." Her eyes widened in fear. "Oh, God, Alice he knows where I live!"

"He isn't going to touch you," said Alice, hands on her friends shoulders. "I promise you."

"You... You can't promise. You aren't around and... And I'm all alone. What... What if..." Eve was close to a mental breakdown. She was breathing quick and was on her way to hyperventilation. 

"Hey," said Alice, firming her hold on Eve to ground her. "Let me see if I can work something out for you, ok? In the meantime, I'll come back with you to your place. Need to check on mine anyway."

"Ok... I talked to Eric this morning. He said they were going to put in your new windows today."

"Sweet," said Alice, slinging an arm over Eve's shoulders while hailing a cab that finally made an appearance. "Let's go home."

.

.

.

Eve had pretty much been glued to Alice's side the rest of the afternoon, which Alice had been ok with. They had gone to the apartment, grabbed their mail, then went to Alice's apartment first. Men were working to get her windows installed and while they did that, Alice went to her bedroom with Eve behind her. Eve stayed there while Alice grabbed a quick shower. She loved that she'd been able to use her bathroom instead of the one in the turtle's lair. She slipped on a fresh pair of black yoga pants, a white tank, and a black, zip up hoodie. She brushed her fingers through her wet hair as she exited the bathroom. Eve was still perched on her bed so Alice had some disappointment that she couldn't check her loot, though the hiding place did look undisturbed. She pushed Eve to shower at her place and had a cup of tea ready for her when she came out. She encouraged her to take a sleeping aid and soon her friend was sleeping comfortably on the sofa with a red afghan pulled over her body.

Alice slunk to the hallway, looking for anything out of the ordinary, before going to her place. She had asked Eric to keep it unlocked when they were done and thanked him silently while making her way to her bedroom. She was about to turn on the lights when she was grabbed from behind roughly and practically slammed into the wall. She brought her hands up, ready to defend herself, when a pair of familiar lips met hers. Instantly her defenses came down and she wrapped herself around the large reptile before her, lips moving against his as his calloused hands ran up the skin of her back underneath her tops.

"Hello, Raph," she gasped, barely managing to say those words as his mouth moved to that extra sensitive place behind her ear. Her knees threatened to give as he nipped at the skin there. "Miss me?"

"I knew you'd come here," he growled against the skin of her neck, one of his hands lowering the zipper of her hoodie, amber eyes watching as he slowly trailed it down. Alice shrugged out of the hoodie then tossed it aside. She had no bra on so her hardened nipples were easy to see and Raphael bit back a groan while going back to kissing her neck. His hands moved up and down her bare back, her soft skin too tempting to ignore. 

"Had to. Eve lives across the hall. She-" Alice moaned as Raph's teeth scraped over her shoulder. "Had a bad day..."

"Ya need ta come with me now. It isn't safe here."

"I can't just leave her," whispered Alice, fingertips running over the textured ridges of his shell before traveling down his arms. It was her turn to touch him and his hands stilled at her lower back while her fingers slid up and down his sides. "We ran into the guy that used to beat her for sport. He's been following her and-"

"That Victor guy Donnie was lookin' up for ya?" asked Raphael, pulling away slightly to look at her.

"Yes... " she said, resting the back of her head against the wall. "How did you know?"

"Saw it on his computer screen when I asked him ta track yer phone."

"WHAT? But... How? I made it so that no one could track me!" Her brows furrowed and he thought it was cute.

"He has his ways," said Raphael, frowning as his eyes once again took in the top half of her body. "You wearin' a bra?"

"Nope," said Alice, popping the 'p'.

"Damn," said Raphael, eyes flaring up again with that thing called lust. 

"Take it off," urged Alice, her own body feeling aroused and wanting to be satisfied. Raphael hesitated for a moment before bringing his hands down to the hem of her tank top. Fuck it all. He wanted her. Wanted all of her. And he was gunna have her right now. He was done playing these games. She could win, he didn't care. Alice lifted her hands up in surrender and Raphael had just lifted the tank top above her bellybutton when a scream came from across the hall, it acting like a cold bucket of water for the both of them. 

"Eve!"

Alice, with Raphael right behind her with his sais drawn, dashed to the apartment across the hall. Raphael immediately starting looking around the apartment for a threat while Alice soothed her redheaded friend who was looking at him with wide eyes while clinging to Alice. 

"Eve? Are you ok?"

"Nightmare. Am... Am I still dreaming? I... I see a turtle."

"That's just Raph. Don't let him scare you. He's a huge Snugglebear."

"All that fer a dream? Dammit, if Leo was here, he'd kill me for dis," groaned the terrapin as he replaced his sais then crossed his arms over his plastron.

"Eve?" asked Alice, gaining the attention of her friend once more. "You aren't dreaming."

"Then I'm crazy cause I see a turtle in my living room," whispered Eve loudly. 

"He's a friend," said Alice. "_Sorta_. I've been staying with him and his family while my apartment was getting fixed."

"O-okay... Why? I mean why not just come to me and ask to stay at my place? First that then you're running like its nothing and you took out Victor. And now there is a walking, talking turtle in my apartment. Wait... Is this your boyfriend? Alice, what the HELL is going on?"

Eve only swore when she was really upset and it was Alice's turn to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Hmm. Ok. Uh..." Alice scratched her bare arm. "It all started when..."

.

.

.


	5. Chapter 5

Dis: I don't own TMNT

.

.

.

Alice sat on the sofa, biting her thumbnail while her worried eyes gazed at the closed door to the bathroom. After telling her tale of becoming a thief, meeting Raphael, and then being on the run from a bat-shit crazy woman that wanted to use her newly found powers for evil: Eve had calmly excused herself and went to the bathroom. Raphael had stayed, and was currently leaning against the wall with a bored expression on his face, arms folded tightly against his chest area.

"How long we gunna sit here?" he asked impatiently.

"She's had to digest a lot today. A little longer? If she doesn't come out soon… We can go."

Raphael sighed long and deep before turning his dark chocolate eyes out toward the city. Alice knew that if any other turtle was here right now they'd been reassuring her that it would be fine and probably would've been more helpful in the storytelling that had transpired. Raphael certainly was nothing like his brothers, and Alice knew he was someone that kept his softer emotions inside and probably had problems being empathetic. Anger and lust were easy to come by but sunshine and puppies? Not so much. Then again, at times, Alice was no different. She probably could have softened the blow a little. Maybe she shouldn't have manifested the fireball? Or talked about killer ninjas? Ah, hell... A soft clicking had her standing, hands going to her back pockets. She shifted from one foot to the other as Eve came out. She looked less pale than before and a bit more composed. Alice narrowed her eyes a little to find evidence of a tell that would insinuate an impending argument.

"Ok."

Alice spared a glance at Raphael before looking at her only friend.

"Ok?" asked Alice tentatively.

"Ok. I accept it." Eve pinched the bridge of her nose, blue eyes closing, as if trying to ward off a migraine. "You're Catwoman turned Super Girl and have a talking turtle as a friend and bad people are out there to corrupt you. It's… A lot to take in, but… I accept it. Because I'm your friend."

Alice exhaled a breath she'd been unaware of holding then smiled at her friend, who returned it, albeit not as fast as Alice would've liked. Alice then turned to Raphael, a worried look on her face.

"I'm still worried about that douche Victor."

"Alice. I'll be fine. Maybe I'm just over-" The lights went out. "-reacting?"

"Ah, _shell_," muttered Raphael, pushing away from the wall and drawing out his sai.

"Stay behind me, Eve," whispered Alice as a lone figure, dressed in black, approached the window from the outside.

Alice felt Eve upon her back and reached out a hand to her friend as Raphael positioned himself against the wall of the window. Alice stepped back toward the bathroom, eyes on the figure as she guided her friend toward a hiding spot. Eve's body was trembling and she whimpered as the window clicked, indicating that the lock had been jimmied. The window slid open effortlessly but as the figure entered Raphael grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed the body down to the floor. Eve let out a squeak as the figure fought back, kicking Raphael hard in his plastron but the human was no match for the ninja turtle and soon he was struggling against his hold. Luckily, Raphael managed to keep the intruder from see his true form… The darkness of the apartment also helped.

"Did V-Victor do this o-or is he after you?" asked a stuttering Eve.

"Let's find out," said Alice as Raphael stood with the guys arms behind his back. The man was in all black, including a mask, and Alice could easily see the weapon tucked away in the waistband of his pants. He tried to struggle but Raphael squeezed a little tighter as Alice took the weapon then ripped off the ski mask to reveal a man with platinum blonde hair and menacing blue eyes. He literally had the looks to kill.

"An AAC Evolution, nine millimeter with suppressor…" Alice lovingly ran her fingers over the metallic, military grade silencer. "Not my first choice. But then guns never are. So impersonal. So, what'cha doin'?"

The man refused to answer so Alice balled up her fist and slammed it home, hitting him in the nose. Blood instantly started to flow from the more than likely broken body part and she smiled menacingly as she held the gun up underneath the man's throat. Raphael cast her a warning glance but she ignored him, instead running the cool metal underneath the man's chin. She didn't say anything for a moment, letting it sink in that he didn't have the upper hand. She did. She could kill him and not care.

"Loyalty is overrated. You already failed. I'm certain the person that paid you to take us out will have you on their list next. Soooo… What will it be? I kill you here and now…" Alice raised the gun up to place it right at the man's forehead, between the eyes. "Or we tie you up and let you escape and hide while we take care of the bad guy that wants us dead?"

The man worked his jaw, deciding on his options, before relenting.

"Victor Wendt wants you and the little redhead dead," answered the hitman.

"Ah. Thank you for playing. Your reward? You get to live another day. I suggest that when you wake up you leave town. Though I'm not against killing you, my friend in the shadows here is."

With that she twisted the weapon in her grasp and whipped it lightning fast, catching the man in the temple. He fell limp and while Raphael found something to bind him with, Alice turned to Eve. She looked like a ghost standing there with her wide blue eyes. Alice took a step forward and tried not to feel the hurt creeping up in her body as Eve took a step back. She'd shown her a glimpse of her darker side. It was a lot to take in. Even Raphael was eyeing her like he was unsure. It stung, but she'd get over it. 

"Eve? Eve!" Blue eyes met Alice's almost black. "We need to go. _Now_. Pack what you can in a bag."

"What? But, I…"

"Eve! He'll send more. We need to lay low so that we can form a plan. Ok? So let's GO."

Eve nodded sluggishly and Alice followed her into the bedroom. Alice directed her movements, telling her to pack more sweaters and pants since where they were going was a bit chilly. Alice asked Raphael to watch her while she grabbed more clothes from her place. Though he was reluctant, he let her go, and within five minutes Eve and Alice both had a bag packed. Alice stood firm in Eve leaving her phone and computer at the apartment since she didn't have the encryption Alice did. Soon, the three of them were climbing down the fire escape toward the nearest sewer manhole. Once again, Eve was reluctant to follow, but when given the option to get dirty or die a bloody death, she chose slime and sludge. Raphael had wanted to blindfold Eve but with the threats from Alice and Eve's oath to keep their home a secret, he was soon leading the two of them through the twisting tunnels of the Manhattan sewer system.

"It may stink here," said Alice as she stepped around a large rat chewing on leftover hotdog scraps. "But where we're going? It's… Nice."

Raphael speaking on the phone made the two girls look up. From the sound of it, he was talking to Donatello, and getting him up to date on the situation. Alice wondered how much trouble Raphael was going to get into for bringing yet another stranger into their home, another one with a target on her head. Alice knew it would be especially tense with Splinter, but if they decided to kick Eve out, Alice was going to go with her. She spared a glance at her friend again and sighed when seeing the somewhat lost look in her eyes. She was holding it together but just barely. 

"I'm sorry," said Alice when the sound of splashing footsteps and rushing water wasn't enough of a distraction for her. "What I did? It wasn't safe to be truthful about it. Like what if the police came to your door to ask questions? You could honestly then say you didn't know anything."

"We aren't close enough to be knowledgeable of everything in each other's lives," said Eve simply. "I get that."

"Eve, that isn't… Argh! How would that conversation have gone anyway? Hey, I'm Alice, I'm a Scorpio and like to steal things and oh, by the way, I just got zapped by a sword and it gave me mystical powers!"

"I… I guess that would've been silly," said Eve quietly, pulling her bag closer to her and Alice fought the urge to smack herself. Eve didn't respond well to yelling. "I'm just tired, Alice."

"I know, Eve." They turned left down another tunnel and both girls stepped over a large puddle while Raphael splashed right through it. "I didn't NOT tell you because I didn't think we were close… it honestly was to protect you."

"Ok." Eve rubbed the back of her neck before timidly calling out to Raph. "How much further?"

"Almost there," was his reply and within ten minutes he was leading them in through their secret entrance. They were greeted by Donatello, Michelangelo, and Splinter. Don and Mikey looked ready to ask a lot of questions, but Splinter took in the frail appearance of Eve and halted the questioning.

"Perhaps it would be best for Miss Eve to get some rest before we…" He stopped speaking because Eve was on the floor. She had fainted. "Hm… I thought I was getting better at this."

"Crud, sorry Sensei," said Raphael, knowing his mistake of not warning Eve that a rat was his father.

"Where should we put her?" asked Donatello, being the first one to scoop her up.

"You can put her where I've been staying," said Alice. "I'll sleep somewhere else."

Donatello nodded and left with Eve cradled in his arms. Raphael and Splinter were speaking in hushed tones as they slowly walked to Splinter's room, leaving Alice alone with-

"Soooo…" Mikey pointed his thumb over his shoulder in the direction Donatello had went with Eve. "What's HER deal?"

"She's a friend in trouble."

"A Damsel in Distress? Excellent! So whose shell are we going to kick?"

"Victor's," said Alice, making a fist at her side. "That's who."

"Victor… Creepy name!" said Mikey as he bounced around her in circles. Alice fought the urge to trip him up. Like Eve, she was close to snapping, but in anger: not fear. "So, like, what'd she do? Did she steal something? Oh! Did she-"

"She left him after he abused her mentally and physically," said Alice in a monotone voice. Mikey instantly stopped dancing around and his usually perky expression turned glum. "And now he wants her dead because she left. _That's_ what she did."

"I… I… Oh."

"Not everything is fun and games, Mikey," said Alice tiredly before walking away, leaving a stunned turtle behind.

"Ah, shell," he said when she was out of sight.

.

.

.

"She woke up when I put her on Leo's bed," said Don as Alice checked in on Eve. They spoke in hushed tones. "I told her to rest and that no one was here to hurt her and she seemed content enough to fall back asleep."

"Good," said Alice. "Thanks, Don."

"No problem." He started wringing his hands, hesitating at the doorway. Alice lifted a brow in his direction and so he spoke. "What is it that we're supposed to be doing? We go after Victor, then what? We have another powerful enemy?"

"Let ME worry about Victor. I appreciate you letting her stay here and looking into him, but I'll handle it."

"Handle it _how_, exactly?" he asked tentatively. As if he knew the answer but didn't want to really hear it. 

Alice gave him a tight smile before grabbing her katana. "The best way I know how."

"Alice…" he started, ready to try and think of another solution. They were ninja. They've fought many long, bloody battles. But their first solution was never to outright kill someone. 

"Can I have some privacy, Donnie? I need to change."

"I… Right. I'll… Leave you be."

Donatello left and Alice immediately changed into her favorite pair of yoga pants and despite it being cold, a sports bra and blue, sleeveless top. She slipped on a pair of Nike shoes she snatched from her place and after tying her hair up into a high ponytail, walked to the dojo. Upon arriving she started basic movements with her single katana. She really didn't know what she was doing. Reading the book have given her some idea and she just did what came naturally. Splinter still showed her nothing and insisted on meditation. She was pretty much teaching herself at the moment. If she ever met Leonardo she'd have to thank him for having such a great collection of books. 

Her slow, fluid movements soon became faster and faster. She pushed her body onward, performing simple then more complex kicks and slices. She found her feet to be lighter, as if the air around her was assisting her aerial performance. When the urge to pound something was still within her system she set her weapon down and walked to the first punching bag she found. Bare knuckling it, she started an unmerciful rain of attacks on the leather bag, it swaying with momentum as her arms burned. She was angry at not only Victor, but herself. She should've taken the chance meeting with him more seriously. She'd been ready to leave Eve alone and go with Raphael. If Eve hadn't come out of the bathroom: and if Alice had left… She stopped fighting and brought her hands up to her face, doing her best to stop the onslaught of tears that wanted to fall. What was with her and being so emotional lately? Strong arms encircled her before she could berate herself and her whole body tensed, ready to strike out, but a calming voice made her still.

"I'm sorry," said Michelangelo. "For being, well, ME."

"Don't worry about it, Mikey," said Alice, relaxing into his hold. "I was too harsh."

"You were right. Sometimes I don't take things seriously enough. My bros have told me plenty of times."

Alice wasn't sure what it was, but Michelangelo always managed to calm her. He had a certain… _Aura_, about him that no one could resist. She turned in his embrace and accepted the support he was giving her,resting her head on his shoulder. One hand moved though her ponytail and she laughed a little as she wiped her eyes.

"I'm being a baby," she huffed, doing her best to just stop crying. Her body betrayed her and she was returning his hug. She hated hugging and yet she'd given out two today.

"You're worried about your friend, Babe, don't be so hard on yourself."

"I almost left her," sighed Alice, pulling away slightly to look into his sad eyes. "If Raph and I left, she'd be dead."

"But she isn't. Don't dwell. Instead, let's find a way to kick this guy's tail!"

"Wow, so rational," said Alice.

"It happens," said Mikey, stepping back but keeping an arm over her shoulder as they walked out of the dojo. She bent to retrieve her katana and soon they were strolling along toward the living area. "Usually on full moons. Or solar eclipses."

Alice once again laughed, bumping her hip against his shell.

"I'm going to go put this away. You tired?"

"Nope."

"I'll play that game with you that you'd been pestering me about. Eve has Leo's room tonight so that means I'm on the couch... But I'm not ready to sleep yet."

"You can have my bed," said Mikey. "Oh! We could totally have a sleepover!"

"Are you inviting me to your bed, Romeo?" asked Alice.

"Totally," said Mikey, grinning from ear to ear, making Alice laugh wholeheartedly before turning to the stairs that led to the rooms.

"Be back in five!"

Alice easily jogged up the stairs and stilled when seeing Raphael practically stomping down the hall toward her. He looked pretty pissed and she tilted her head to the side, ready for an encounter. It never came. He breezed right past her. Confused, she twisted around on her heel.

"Going out tonight, Watcher?" she asked, softly enough where no one would hear, and he stopped. Turning his head back to stare back at her, amber eyes set to 'kill mode', she wondered just what the hell pissed him off. Maybe his chat with Splinter? Or the situation with Eve? That was more likely. Great. Looked like she'd have to start their little game over from the start.

"What's it to ya?" he growled.

"Just wondering. What's up your butt?" she asked, deciding to be forward. 

"Nothin'!" The way he crossed his arms and looked away let her know it was something. 

"Mhm…" Alice braced her katana against the wall then walked forward, perfectly aware of the anger boiling inside of him, but not afraid. It excited her. She was attracted to the darkness and wanted a little more of it. Her hands went to his shoulders and she smiled seductively up at him. "I need a place to sleep tonight…"

"Go sleep with Mikey then!" he said, shrugging her hands off of him.

AH, so _THAT_ is what the problem was. He'd heard her and Mikey goofing around.

"Are you jealous of your brother?" she asked, fighting a smile by biting her lower lip.

"NO!" He huffed. "I'm NOT." She was almost certain he stomped his foot a little. "It ain't my business who ya spread yer legs for."

"You ARE jealous. Oh Raphael, we were just messing around," said Alice, ignoring the insult he'd given her. Men did stupid shit when they were pissed. Raphael was one of the good men who didn't use his fists like her father had. Instead, he sulked, and he was so damn adorable. She couldn't wait until he decided he wanted to make it up to her. Until then, she'd be patient. "We're just friends. And if we even DID sleep in the same bed together it'd be as friends, not lovers."

"Whateva," he said, fully turning away from her. "I… I'm gunna be out till late. You… You can have my room."

With that, he was gone, leaving Alice behind: shaking her head at the very complex turtle.

.

.

.

"You cheated!"

"Did not!" laughed Alice, rising from her seat, arms held high in victory. "I win and you lose! Buahaha!"

"Rematch!" demanded Michelangelo as Donatello came to see what all the fuss was about.

"I won fair and square, Michelangelo," said Alice, pointing at him with a controller. "If you are unsatisfied losing just once… I'll gladly accommodate you and beat your shell again!"

"_Dooonnnn_," whined Mikey when he saw his brother. "Alice is being _meeeaann_. And she **cheats**!"

"I do **NOT**," she protested, smacking Mikey playfully upside the head, making him yelp. "Now choose the character I'm going to wipe the floor with next!"

Alice fell against the cushions of the sofa and the game started again. Donatello stayed behind, amused by Mikey's squeals of protest as Alice beat him. He managed to beat her one time, and after that, Alice was relentless. After losing ten matches of Dead or Alive 4 in a row, Mikey insisted on a new game where they were paired instead of against each other. Donatello had chosen that moment to head back to his lab.

"I'm not good at these kinds of games," said Alice as the _Army of Two_ menu popped up.

"Really?!" Mikey cleared his throat. "I mean, oh really? I'll teach you."

When Alice started going to town his startled blue eyes met her cheerfully bright blue.

"What I meant was… I'm not good. I'm GREAT!"

"ARGH!"

After another hour Alice was starting to get tired. Mikey turned to look at her and tell her goodnight but stopped when seeing something off. He was very confused over what he was seeing.

"Dudette?"

"Hmm?" she asked, comfortably leaning back against the pillows.

"What color are your eyes?"

"Brown. Why?"

"Cause they were totally blue before and now they're kind of a gray color."

"Huh?" asked Alice, now the confused one. 

"Go look for yourself." Alice got up and Mikey followed her to the bathroom. She flipped on the light and looked at herself in the mirror, her face confused. "See? Told ya."

"You think this is part of the whole getting powers thing?" she asked, leaning forward, and watching in the mirror are her eyes reverted back to their natural brown color.

"Maybe," said Mikey, shrugging. "Don was looking into the history of the dude the sword belonged to. Might be important."

Alice nodded as she turned off the light. She was too tired to be poked and prodded. "I'll tell him first thing in the morning. I'm beat."

Mikey nodded. "Want the couch or…"

"Raphael said he was going to be doing stuff late tonight so… I'm gunna crash there."

"Oh…" Mikey grinned, clasping his hands together and batting his eyes at her. "I see."

"Don't start," she said, holding up a finger in warning.

"He _totally_ likes you."

"Whatever."

"I saw how pissed he was when we were flirting."

"You _heard_ that?" asked Alice. "He was totally jealous, wasn't he?"

"Totally." Silence. Alice watched as Mikey went from foot to foot behind her, eager to ask her something she was certain. "Alice?"

"Hm?" she asked, walking up the stairs, Mikey on her heels.

"He really does like you. I know he seems like he doesn't care about stuff but, he's my bro, so… Don't hurt him?"

Alice smiled at the young turtle and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before entering Leo's room. There, she changed into pajama pants and a long sleeved sleeping shirt. She decided to skip brushing her teeth since she didn't have the energy nor the desire to go back downstairs where Mikey would probably ask her more questions. Instead she went to the end of the hall where Raphael's room was. She entered, the red curtain that acted like a door falling behind her, casting the room in darkness. She cursed once as her toe connected with a large weight and hopped to a bed, rubbing the injured pinky toe. Alice plopped back against the surprisingly comfortable mattress. It was definitely more comfortable than Leo's bed, the pillow softer as if it were newer. She pulled a thick blanket around herself, curled around the pillow, and fell asleep.

That was how Raphael found her when he entered his room. It was pushing four in the morning and he was tired, sore, and cranky. He wasn't sure what he'd expected to see when he entered his room. Part of him had been scared that she would've ended up with Mikey tonight. Seeing her in his bed gave him the urge to…

"Dammit," he cursed softly, rubbing his tired eyes.

He was going to sleep on the couch. _Damn_ Mikey, maybe if he still had his hammock he could sleep in that instead of that lump of a couch but Mikey thought he would be funny and cut the strings on it one night. Raphael had fallen hard on his shell and after ten minutes of Mikey squealing while he tried catching him, Splinter had intervened. While Raphael was ordered to knit another damn pair of boxing gloves to help advert his anger, Mikey had been sent out on a quest to find Raphael a new bed. Raphael loved that bed but now he hated it, because it was making him want something that he probably could never-

"Raphael?" asked a drowsy Alice.

"Yeah. I, uh, was just on my way out."

"What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Almost four."

"Where you going?" she asked softly, sleep doing its best to pull her back under.

"Couch."

"Don't be silly." She scooted over and again the need to have her hit him hard. "C'mere."

"I don't think 'dats a good idea."

"Raphael," said an exasperated Alice rolling her eyes before snuggling back with a pillow. "Whatever. I'm too tired to argue. Share a bed or go lay on that lumpy sofa. I don't care."

Raphael stood there, fists clenched, while he fought with his inner self. He wanted to go in that bed, roll her onto her back, and possess her. _That's_ what he wanted. He wanted her naked, panting his name while he made her HIS. She wasn't making it easy to turn away, and he really did NOT want to sleep on the couch. Praying for control, he stripped down to his shell and climbed into the bed. He bit his inner cheek as she sleepily passed him the one pillow he had then wrapped herself around him. He growled lightly as her legs twined with his and her head rested on his upper arm. His free arm wrapped itself around her and she sighed.

"There… was that so hard?" she asked, words soft and laced with sleepiness.

"Yes."

He could see her smile in the darkness before she fell back asleep. It took him a whole half hour to relax, and another ten minutes before his eyes closed so that he could join her in sleep.

**TBC...**


	6. Chapter 6

_Mercy (yeah yeah yeah) _  
Why won't you release me (yeah yeah yeah)   
You got me beggin' you for mercy (yeah yeah yeah)   
Why won't you release me (yeah yeah yeah)   
I said release me (yeah yeah yeah)

Alice groaned, burrowing further into her pillow as her phone beeped, indicating that she'd missed a call. She'd been too lazy to try and find her phone on the floor of Raphael's room, which was now lit thanks to the screen. She sighed as the boulder known as Raphael pulled her against him a little tighter, using her as his personal pillow, head resting against that spot between her shoulder and neck. She sighed, content, while relaxing against him again. This was kinda nice. She never really snuggled with someone in bed often. Normally she went to their place then left before they could even offer to her stay. This though? Yeah, she liked it.

_Mercy (yeah yeah yeah)_

"Goddammit," muttered Alice, slowly pulling from Raphael, eyes blurry from sleep as she did her best to open them. She should've muted her phone. She usually did when she went to bed anyway. 

_'Why won't you release me (yeah yeah yeah)'_

She slid over the edge of her bed, the smiling face of her sister mocking her on the screen of her phone. She was tempted to hit the ignore button and go back to sleep, and then remembered that it was her sister and that she was supposed to love her. The bitch. She brought the phone up to her ear, now 100 percent cranky. 

"WHAT?" 

"Oh, she's alive! You know how worried I've been? I've tried calling you a hundred times!" scolded Danica on the other end.

"So sorry," said Alice, yawning, a grumbling Raphael pulling his pillow over his head to block out the conversation. She rubbed her eyes, pulling back the phone to look at the screen. Her eyes widened, and then narrowed. She was going to kill her. Go to Montana and strangle her sister's neck. "It's six o'clock in the fucking morning!"

"Oh is it?" asked an amused Danica. "I had no idea."

"What is so damned important?"

"Oh, I dunno, my state of mind? I'm pregnant; you need to keep me happy, not worried that my sister is shot up in the gutter somewhere in New York!"

"Drama Queen," accused Alice, rolling her eyes. Sometimes her sister acted like she was five and her immaturity knew no bounds. 

"Can you have this conversation somewhere else?" asked Raphael, voice muffled while practically growling at her from under the pillow.

"No," whispered Alice the same time Danica asked who was talking. "No one, just a bed mate."

"Oh, God, Alice, _really_?" asked Danica, going from immature to prudish with a snap of a finger. 

"I have a life you know," said Alice, smirking before yawning. "Ok, ok, I'm alive and well. I'll call you in another five hours."

"I have a doctor's appointment," said Danica. "I won't be available then. Can I call you after?"

"Yeah, yeah, so long as it is five hours or later from now."

"Fine! Enjoy your…. Bed partner…" Alice couldn't see her, but she was certain Danica had an awkward look on her face. "Yeah… Bye."

_Click_.

"Christ," muttered Alice, making sure to silence her phone before dropping it back to the floor. She reached for the pillow but Raphael wasn't relenting in his grip. "C'mon, Raph, gimmie."

"Get yer own," he muttered. 

"Raph!" whined Alice, who then had an idea. Smirking, she turned onto her side to face him sleeping on his plastron, and then drew closer. She bent down, lips pressing against his upper arm. She saw his fingers clench against the pillow, then relax. She ran her soft fingertips from his wrist down to his elbow, her lips moving up to his shoulder, enjoying the feel of his textured skin. When he stirred, she smiled as he lifted the arm she'd been paying special attention to and coiled it around her slim waist. She uttered a small squeak when she ended up on her back, a grumpy turtle above her.

"What're ya doing?" he asked, looking down at her. Damn he looked sexy as a grump who'd gotten woken too early. 

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Yeah. Why? For a damn pillow?"

"No?" she answered, hands going to his shoulders to give them a little rub. He was super tense. 

"I'm too damn tired to argue with ya," he muttered, grabbing the pillow then practically shoving it at her before rolling onto his side, facing away from her. Though it was a victory, Alice felt a little cheated. She wanted to play around a little, not have him teed off. She'd actually been ready to just go without. Irritated, she rose the pillow up and thwacked him on the head with it as she tossed it in his direction. He jumped then whipped around quick to look at her, his still sleepy face now transitioning to purely annoyed. "WHAT THE-"

"You can have it," said Alice with a little shrug.

"Why I outta…" He threw the pillow back at her. "I don't want it!"

Alice sat up on her knees, pillow in her hands, and smacked him with it again. He grunted, yanking the pillow from her grasp and tossing it to the floor before tackling her down and once again Alice had a turtle on top of her but instead of glaring at her he was kissing the life outta her. Happy with the turn of events she brought her legs up, her inner thighs pressing against his outer through her pajama pants. In the short sessions they've had, Raphael had been quick to learn how to kiss her with the varying sizes of their mouths. His three fingered hands were bunching up the fabric of the sheet while her fingertips moved over the familiar plates of his caprice. She smiled as he sucked in a breath after her fingers started touching the skin between the shell and plastron.

"Tell me where to touch you," she said huskily against his lips.

"Everywhere," he answered, a hand moving up from her knee to her hip, a surprising amount of heat transferring through the fabric of her pants to her skin. Her body trembled deliciously as his hand traveled up under her sleeping shirt, her scarred lips releasing an almost whimper as his calloused hand brushed against her sensitive nipple. Growling, he sat up on his knees, sitting her up with him, and she laughed as he yanked her shirt off over her head. One hand immediately went to her hair, tangling his thicker fingers in her tresses while the other eagerly cupped a breast. Raphael has never been with a woman before but he's watched plenty of porn and caught glimpses of bedroom scenes in Master Splinter's stories to get somewhat of an idea. His mouth trailed down her neck as he eased her onto her back, thumb grazing over her nipple and making her sigh. He was eager to have her bare underneath him and so was she. His lips moved from her neck to a breast and her delicate yet deadly hands cupped his bald head as he curiously explored the area with his mouth and tongue, both hands slowly making their way to the waistband of her bottoms.

"Take 'em off," she ordered, and who was he to argue? He did so and a real growl escaped him as she was finally FINALLY naked. She eagerly pulled him back against her and he shivered at the contact of her skin against him. Her hands slid from his shoulders down his sides to his lower shell and she leaned up to whisper huskily into the slit of his ear: "Come out come out wherever you are…"

The pressure in his shell was intense and his dark amber eyes met hers. Her hand was right over the area and he sighed as he let himself drop and then hissed in a breath as her hand surrounded him. He saw her eyes widen slightly, as if surprised by the size of him, but any sort of smart-ass remark he had died on his lips as her entire hand started traveling up and down his length.

"_Fuck_," he cursed, almost falling on top of her as she expertly maneuvered over his dick, thumb caressing the tip. He'd gotten himself off more then a few times but it was different when it was someone else doing it. Her hands felt fantastic and he started thinking about other ways she could get him off. He just about came when thinking of her on her knees sucking him off. "Jesus Alice…"

"I want you inside me…" She grabbed his hand and brought it between her legs and all he felt was liquid heat. "See how much I want you, Raphael?"

He'd wanted to take his time. Only because he wasn't sure this would happen again. For all he knew this was his one and only chance. Never had he thought a woman, let alone a human one, would let him touch them like this. He'd always thought himself to be nothing but a freak that no one would ever want. She was wet for him, though. His finger was soaked as he trailed it between her legs over her slit. Curious, he'd pressed it further and she moaned, eyes closing as his digit slid inside her pussy. 

"Tease," she gasped as he slowly moved it and he grinned. She bit her bottom lip as his thumb grazed over her clit. Seeing her reaction he did it again and again. He watched as a flush traveled down her neck. Her eyes were slightly unfocused before she closed them. His cock got harder as she started playing with her breasts, biting her bottom lip while doing so. "Raph, I need your dick in me now."

That was all the invitation he needed. It took them an awkward moment to shift around and get the positioning right but when they did they both got lost in the pleasure of, well, fucking. When he'd entered her for the first time he'd burrowed his head against her neck and let out a long, deep churr that he was certain his brothers would hear if they were awake. She kept talking about his big his dick was when he kept slowly entering her. He didn't want to hurt her but she seemed to enjoy each new inch that entered her until he was inside her fully. His arms were shaking by the time and he had to take a moment to compose himself before he moved otherwise it would have been over as soon as it started. 

Fucking Alice was he new favorite thing to do. Who was to call it love making when they really only JUST tolerated each other? He enjoyed the feeling of being inside her as well as her nails against his scalp or that patch of skin on his shoulders above his shell. Once a steady rhythm was set she showed him where to touch her to make her fall apart in his arms and when her blue-_weren't they supposed to be brown?-_ eyes met his he felt a sudden tightness surround him inside her and he clenched his jaw because watching her cum was the hottest fucking thing ever. He braced both of his large hands on her hips, twisted them up, and fucked her a little deeper. When he knew he was about to cum he burrowed his face against her neck once more, tightened his grip he had on her hips, and released himself inside her with a deep churr, ignoring that primal part of him that wanted to bite down on her neck and mark her. He heard her murmur something in his ear as he continued to fill her but he was too far gone to know what it was she'd said. Resisting the urge to collapse on top of her he slowly pulled out of her then fell onto his carapace. She sighed deeply, completely satisfied and drained of energy, but she reached deep down to rise up from the bed and look for some clothes. At his curious look she explained while searching for the pajama bottoms he'd tossed around the room.

"Last thing I need is Mikey coming in here and seeing me naked," she said. 

"Wise decision. I'd pound him."

He watched her as she dressed, arms folded back behind his head. She left to go to the bathroom and clean up a little then quickly returned to the bed, pulling the covers up, reclaiming the pillow before lying back down. He pulled her close, her back to his front, lips pressing against the tattoo at the back of her neck then the top of her shoulder, before he reclaimed the same position he'd been in before her phone rang. Almost timidly he took her hand, his thick thumb caressing the inside of a wrist where another tattoo resided.

"Yer eyes changed color…" he murmured.

"Yeah," she responded, eyes closed. "Noticed that… I'll ask Donnie about it later…"

"Yer tattoo feels warm," he commented, thumb grazing over her write once more. He was being tender. Loving, almost. And he didn't feel awkward about it.

"Probably cause I just got my world rocked by a ninja turtle."

Raphael chuckled, body shaking with a sort of mirth he's yet to feel in his entire lifetime. He felt her body relax against him and knew when she'd fallen back asleep. He was basking in the moment. He'd just had sex with a woman, something he never thought ever to be possible. When a yawn hit him hard, he relaxed even more and this time, it didn't take long for him to fall asleep. Surrounded and comforted by her scent he was unaware that within the next few hours, all hell would break loose.

.

.

.

Alice awakened some time later, the heavy weight of Raphael still at her back. She carefully maneuvered out from under his arm but even then he still awakened, golden eyes watching her every move. She stretched her arms above her head and offered him a quick smile over her shoulder.

"Go back to sleep. I'm going to go check in on Eve."

Raphael didn't argue. He loved his sleep. He snatched the pillow she'd been hogging the entire night and soon his soft snores filled the room. Shaking her head at the turtle, she quietly exited the room, making sure to take her phone with her in case Danica called. Checking the time she saw it was nine and upon entering Leo's room she found it empty. Frowning, she quickly found a pair of black, fuzzy slippers from her bag and pulled those on as well as a matching black robe over her sleeping attire because it was especially chilly that morning. Looking over the railing she saw Splinter watching the news with Eve sitting by his side. Alice's eyes traveled to the monitors and she practically growled when seeing Eve's picture posted, indicating that she was '_missing_'. Splinter's ears perked and she knew he'd heard her. Alice sailed down the stairs, going to the sofa where her friend was staring at the screen with a lost look on her face. Alice sat down beside her and pulled her in close and Eve didn't fight the urge to wrap her arms around her friend.

"I'll call the news station today and get them up to speed so that no one will be looking for you," said Alice. "In fact I'll do that right now. Do you need anything?"

"A new life?"

Alice chuckled. "That's what I'm working on."

Donatello chose that moment to come in with a large pot of tea for Splinter, Alice assumed, and two large mugs of coffee. Upon seeing Alice he smiled brightly. That was her first clue that something was off. He was always weary around her, and now? It was like they were long lost friends.

"Morning!" he called out.

"Morning…" she answered, still suspicious. 

"I have coffee," said Donatello, making Eve and Alice moan in delight. Strange behavior be damned, he brought her coffee!

"I love you," said Alice grabbing a mug of black coffee.

"Thank you," said Eve shyly, making the turtle smile and look down at the ground.

'_Hm_,' thought Alice. '_That's why he's all buddy-buddy…Interesting_.'

"I know Alice likes her coffee black… Do you want milk or anything?"

"Nope," said Eve, completely oblivious to his infatuation. Then again she had bigger problems happening in that moment. Like the news saying she was a missing person. "I like it black as well."

"Me too," said Don and Alice looked between the two of them, then at Splinter who surprisingly winked at her.

"So… I'm going to go nip this in the butt and call the news stations to get them to stop saying you're missing."

Alice rose from her seat, coffee and phone in hand. Eve rose from the sofa as well, following Alice to the kitchen. Of course that meant Don wasn't far behind. Alice quickly found a number the old fashioned way when Donatello handed her a phone book and while she started yelling at the news station for being idiots and explaining that she (Alice was pretending to be Eve) was not missing and instead hiding from a psycho ex- Eve left. Though they were all aware of her situation, hearing it spoken out loud was more than a little embarrassing. What was even more embarrassing was the soft, sympathetic looks she got from Donatello. She hated feeling weak, and thought she was past it, and after the events of yesterday: she knew she wasn't.

"Hey."

She jumped, almost sloshing coffee onto her hand.

"Sorry," apologized Donatello, leaning in close to make sure her hand was ok. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't," said Eve bitingly, making _him_ now the startled one. "I wasn't scared, ok? You just… Surprised me."

"I'M NOT FUCKING MISSING YOU GODDAMNED MORONS!"

Eve and Don both winced at the venomous words coming out of Alice's mouth. Eve ran a hand through her mussed red hair then adjusted the glasses she wore before sighing. She looked down at her feet, focusing on the small hole near the large toe on her black sock, and was proud for not jumping out of her skin when Donatello put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. It's going to be OK."

"No… It's not. I've been running for how long now and he still managed to find me."

"We won't let him hurt you," he promised, and she could almost believe him. "Ever again."

She looked up, her lost blue eyes connecting with his brown, before offering him a smile. She could tell Donatello was a gentle soul not only from his eyes but by the way he'd comforted her the night before when she'd awakened to him setting her down on the borrowed bed. She had panicked, at first, but his soft and soothing words had calmed her, just as his eyes were now. She trusted him. Honestly the first male she'd trusted in a very, very long time. Even at the childcare facility she tended to be more friendly and open with the mothers at pick-up because of Vic. He'd changed her life for the worse and no matter how hard she tried she still couldn't break away from that nasty web he'd cast. Until now. With Donatello. 

"Thank you Donatello."

"You're welcome," he said around a blush, and seeing him blush made her blush, and they were all sorts of discombobulated.

"At least its a Saturday," said Eve. "I don't have to call in sick to work or anything yet."

"See? Good news already," said Don.

"Are you always so optimistic?" she asked with a small laugh.

"When the situation calls for it, yes. Yes I am."

Eve laughed but it was cut short when Alice walked out of the kitchen, looking more than a little irritated.

"Those guys are fucking morons," said Alice. "But the broadcasts of you being missing will stop. I told them if they kept posting missing bulletins of me being missing when I want to remain hidden I'd sue them and everyone affiliated with them."

"So you scared them into submission," said an amused Eve.

"Something like that," said Alice, grinning, before turning to Don. "Oh, hey, so funny fact? My eyes have been changing color."

"You don't say?" Donatello peered closer, then got a strong whiff of Raphael and something else. His scent was all over her. Had they... Did they?! Oh, God, this was awkward. "They are, uh, um, brown now."

"Mikey said they were blue last night. Raphael mentioned it, too, this morning."

"Ah, perhaps your powers are messing with your genetics?" He gestured toward his lab. "If I could run a few tests…"

"Oh, yay, the poking and prodding begins," said Alice, taking her cup of coffee with her. "C'mon Eve, this could be fun."

"You sure you want me around?" she asked, biting her thumbnail.

"I've already had to deal with my crabby, pregnant sister this morning as well as a snotty receptionist… I need you, Evey!"

Eve sighed. "I'm coming."

.

.

.

"Are you done taking blood? I feel a little woozy," complained Alice.

"Yes," said Donatello, taking her hand and inspecting the tattoos, doing his best to not breathe too deeply. The scent of sex and the fact that Raphael marked his scent on her was making him nervous. It was something he'd tried talking to his brothers about before. They'd just ignored him. Now, it seemed, he should have made them pay more attention. "You said Raphael said they felt warm?"

"Yep. I couldn't tell the difference though."

"Well would there be a reason?" he asked, making notes. He looked up at her silence and saw mirth dancing in her eyes. He knew what was coming and dreaded asking the next question. "Did you perhaps have a fever of some sort? Maybe that would explain the, uh, rise in temperature."

"Maybe. I mean we _did_ just have sex."

Eve choked on her coffee.

"I see…"

"I mean, a massive release like that could trigger…" Alice started, only to be halted by Donatello's raised hand.

"I got it." He cleared his throat and Alice knew that if he'd been wearing a tie now, he'd probably have loosened it. "Ok, so the tattoo on your right wrist is the Japanese symbol for fire. Your left is water; neck is earth, and ankle air. I've read up on the daimyo and the legend was that he was powerful man and that his enemies often were overtaken thanks to his '_powers'_."

"Fast like the wind, destructive like fire, yada yada, he was your regular Captain Planet. What's this have to do with me? I'm handed these powers. Well what for? What do they do?"

"Well, there is a prophecy…" Alice groaned. "I'm reading into it."

"I wish I could ram this sword up Karai's ass for getting me into this mess," muttered Alice, running her hands through her hair. Eve patted her shoulder. "So, what? I just sit here and wait for Armageddon?"

"Like I said, I'm looking into it. Most of the script is easy to understand because it's in Japanese but over time people have dumbed it down so that it makes _no_ sense."

"So long as the prophecy doesn't include the world ending like most TV shows and movies I'll be happy."

"If you want," said Eve, looking at Donatello. "I can take a look at it for you. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes is helpful."

"You know Japanese?" he asked, impressed.

"Very little," said Eve. "I know Spanish and German more. My parents were very persuasive when it came to learning a language other than English. But if you read it to me out loud, then I'd understand it."

"I got it," said Donatello, smiling at her, and once again Alice felt like no one knew she was in the room, so she cleared her throat, making the duo jump.

"You two have fun with that. I have a date with Splinter and…" Alice made a face. "Meditation."

.

.

.

"I'm sorry, Sir," said the receptionist at the news station, almost sinking further down into her seat at the evil glare she was receiving. "She called and threatened to sue us if we said she was missing again. She was very, very upset."

"Worthless," shouted Victor, making a fist and slamming it down on the receptionist's desk. She gave a startled squeak and the ruckus drew the attention of the security guard. Raising his hands up in defeat, Victor left the building and calmly entered the back seat of his black Lincoln Town Car. "Take me back to the penthouse."

At the driver's nod, Victor took out his cell phone, ignoring the coked out woman in the seat next to him that looked like she'd OD'd. He dialed a number and it rang once, twice, and then was answered.

"I need a favor… With our business dealings in the past I'd have expected you to be more cooperative. Do you wish to lose an investor such as myself?" He smiled at the answer from the person on the other side of the line. "I thought not." He leaned back in the seat, the leather creaking under his weight. "I have a certain item I lost and wish to have back. We can discuss your payment and deadline face to face… Yes. Seven and not a minute late."

Victor sighed as he turned off his phone. He looked to his left and frowned when seeing that the woman was clearly not breathing. He again rolled down his window. "We need to make a side trip to the east docks to dispose of… _This_."

"Yes, Sir," said the driver who knew better than to ask questions.

Once again, Victor settled back into his seat. He would get Eve back, and when he did, he would show her what happened when you tried to run away from Victor Wendt. Perhaps when he was done with her, he'd focus his energies on her little friend next. He gently rubbed his bandaged hand, the burns on his flesh still sensitive.

"Who are you," he pondered, and wondered if he added in a few more thousand dollars if the Foot Clan could take care of her as well.

.

.

.

"SHABAM!" shouted Alice as the practice dummy exploded in a burst of flame. "I am the all and powerful Oz, bow down before me, mere mortals!"

"Oh great," said Mikey. "The power is totally going to her head."

Donatello and Eve were pouring over the prophecy in Donatello's lab and once he heard about there being one about her, Raphael had gone off to ask his brother a few questions about it. Alice, not wanting to really hear a thing about it yet, had found Splinter meditating in the dojo. After her protesting that she needed to also use her powers, not just meditate to harness them, he had allowed her to use them a little during training. Making a fireball was now easy, all she had to think about was that douchesnozzle, Vic, to make one up and she pretended it was him she was throwing it at. Mikey had come to see what the ruckus was about, and had planted himself at a safe distance away from her to watch. Though, like Don, he'd caught the scent of Raphael coming off of her in waves. Did she even know? Considering he didn't want one of those fireballs in his face he decided to not tell her. 

"You seemed to have mastered the fire element sooner than expected," said Splinter. "Perhaps we should try and focus on your other gifts."

"All right," said Alice. "What do we-ACK!"

Alice barely managed to evade Splinter's attack with his walking stick. Again and again he came at her and soon she found herself easily evading his attacks, using newfound speed. On the sidelines sat Michelangelo, a perfectly painted picture of awe on his face. When coming to a wall, however, she was cornered. Just like when Karai cornered her she had no idea how to get out.

"You are cornered, and have nowhere to go. What do you do?"

"Flambé?" she asked, frowning at the disappointed '_tsk'_ he uttered and the snort of laughter from Mikey. "No? Uh… Well I'm not going to hit you! Your sons would kill me!"

"You are using the element of air to enhance your speed as well as water for your agility. Perhaps use the air around you to maneuver yourself out of a situation like this. Look at your surroundings, use the environment to-"

And just like that. Alice put the edge of her foot up on the wall and pushed upwards, the element of air surrounding her and twisting her body so that she could land behind Splinter.

"Woo! I did-" _WHACK_! Alice was on the floor, an astonished look on her face, as well as a growing bruise on her side from where Splinter had hit her. That had hurt! "Ow!" 

"Never be distracted from one wanting to do harm onto you. It could be the difference between life and death."

"Check," she said, standing slowly, not only rubbing her side, but her bottom.

"You have done well," said Splinter. "I do believe Donatello wished to speak to you after our session today."

"I'm done?" she asked, relieved.

"Yes. Tomorrow we will try and work on an element you have yet to outwardly use. Water."

"You think I can make it appear like fire?"

"I believe you'd be able to do all four. But I wish for you to focus on water next," he said, tilting his head toward the singed practice dummy. "I do not wish to have my home destroyed by your flame."

"Oh. Uh." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry."

She gave a deadly glare to Mikey who had guffawed at her sheepish expression and he barely had time to stand before she was chasing after him, using her newfound speed.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" squealed Michelangelo as her fingertips brushed over his shoulders, having almost gotten him.

"C'mere you!" taunted Alice.

"Kids," muttered Splinter, shaking his head.

.

.

.

"AAAAHHHHHH!"

Three heads looked up from the papers they were looking over, then at each other. While Eve looked worried, Don and Raphael shared a secret smile with each other.

"What was that? Was that Alice? Is she in trouble?"

"Nah, that was Mikey," said Raphael.

"RAPHAEL-HELP-ME-YOUR-PSYCHO-GIRLFRIEND-IS-GUNNA-EYAK!"

_Silence_.

"She got him," said an amused Donatello. "Should we help him?"

"Nah, he probably said something stupid and deserves it," said Raphael. "So, tell me more about dis prophecy."

"From what we've gone over," said Donatello. "It says something about the warrior of the light, harnessing the power of the dark, to defend against--- see this is where it gets jumbled."

"It roughly translates to '_the collapse of time'_. But that makes no sense. Does that mean time stops? Does it mean we all die or that time will have no meaning?" asked Eve, pondering out loud.

"My head hurts just thinkin' about what yer sayin'," said Raphael, rubbing the spot between his eyes. "You sayin' Alice is this warrior of the light? Kinda funny, since she's a thief an all…"

"You did say she was trying to save someone when you first met her," said Donatello, suddenly defending Alice now instead of mistrusting her. "Perhaps she just needed a push in the right direction. Anyway, I'll keep at it. There is still a large amount of text to go over as well as three other possible prophecies that circle around this timeline as well. We've already eliminated one about vampires because, I mean, _those_ don't exist."

"No one knows that we exist, yet we're here," said Raphael, making Donatello frown, then look a little uneasy.

"Maybe… I'll give that one another look as well."

Just then Mikey and Alice came into the lab. Michelangelo was rubbing the back of his head while Alice had a smug smirk on her face. Raphael and Donatello chuckled and Eve just stared at Alice.

"She get'cha good, Mikey?"

"Yeah.I'll never tell you that you hit like a girl again, cause if ya hit like this girl, I'd probably be concussed more often!"

"I barely touched you," teased Alice.

"Tell that to my aching melon!"

"Not to break up the comedic relief," said Donatello. "But we've got a possible match on the prophecy."

"Ohh, goodie, let me see!" said Alice sarcastically while clapping her hands.

Alice started growing weary when Donatello started talking about her being a possible warrior of the light and that the powers she had were dark in nature. Well, duh, they'd been used to fight wars and kill people in the past, so they were a little dark, and she was supposed to stop, what? Time from ending?

"It's all very vague, but, oh, here is a clearer part: the warrior will…" He broke off.

"Will what?" demanded Alice and Raphael at the same time, making Don jump.

"I… It could be wrong. I mean over time texts such as this are…"

"Spill it, Bro," encouraged Michelangelo, leaning over Donatello's shoulder, eager eyes looking the text over.

"Uh, um, according to this the warrior of the light will… Sacrifice their life to preserve the continuation of time."

"WHAT?" barked Raphael.

"Let me see that," said Eve, frantically going over the text, struggling with her own translation, but getting the gist because she was soon pale and looking sadly at her friend.

"This translation is rough. We could be reading it wrong…" said Donatello.

"Right. Sure."

Alice was only half listening. She was aware of Raphael demanding that Donatello look again and Mikey saying that it could all be wrong and Eve was just sitting silently. By the end of it Donatello was promising to look more into the timeline of it while Eve was asking her if she was okay, because it was a lot to take in. Honestly? No, she wasn't okay. She now had a target on her back. And despite everyone talking to her she wasn't listening. Everything now was fuzzy and she just needed to get the hell away from everyone. 

"I'm fine. I just… Need some air."

Alice rushed out of the lab, past the living room, and out the secret door. She was aware of someone calling her name but she ignored them. Luckily before the news had been broken to her she'd been training so having on sneakers was a plus as she started running through the tunnels. Everything blurred and by the time she stopped she had no idea where the hell she was. Too tired to care about the grime of the sewer walls she leaned against them, hands pressed to her face, and breathed deeply.

"Alice?"

"Go away, Mikey."

"I… I just wanted to make sure…"

"What? That I'm ok? I'm fucking perfect. Can you leave now?"

"I…" His eyes were sad as he nodded. He must've told Raphael where he had found her because within ten minutes he was there. Raphael didn't say anything, just stood there, letting her have her moment.

"This is bullshit," she said, hands dropping.

"I know."

"Why me? Huh? I'm no one special. Just someone from a broken home whose mom left and whose dad blamed her and beat her for it." Raphael's eyes widened slightly at her admission and she traced the scar on her upper lip. "This is from one of the nights he came after me. Split my lip open when I told him to leave Danica alone."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. Maybe if he loved me more I wouldn't have turned into a thief and got myself in this mess."

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"There could be another answer. I mean the prophecy-"

"There is an immense amount of FUCK I do not give right now about that prophecy!" shouted Alice. "Let someone else do it! I don't care I…" She sighed. Defeated. "I don't want to die."

Suddenly she was pulled forward and in the embrace of Raphael, the wind almost knocked out of her. Her eyes closed as his arms came around her and she pressed her body closer to his, head resting on his shoulder. Suddenly she wasn't spiraling anymore. He was like a damn anchor, protecting her from the storm spiraling all around her. Guarding her against all these dark thoughts.

"Yer not gunna die," he growled. "Not if I can help it."

"It's nice, having someone care," she whispered a moment later, making his arms tighten. "I'm… Not used to it."

"Don't get too used to it," he said playfully. "I'm only doing this cause yer sleepin' with me."

"Oh really?" she said with a laugh.

"Yep."

"Hm…" Alice then winced, pulling back. "I should say sorry to Mikey. I yelled at him AGAIN."

"He'll get over it," said Raph. "Just play a game with him and let him win and he'll love ya again."

"Never! If he beats me he needs to earn it!"

.

.

.

"No I'm not playing hard to get! I'm telling you, Sir: this isn't that kind of phone line!" Alice froze in Donatello's doorway, a shocked expression on her face which quickly turned into mirth as Donatello struggled with a "customer". A snort of laughter escaped her mouth and Donatello whipped around, hand over the mouthpiece of his headphones: a look of pure mortification on his face. "Let me transfer you to a manager."

It wasn't until he tossed the headphones down onto his keyboard that Alice really let loose with the laughter. Her stomach hurt, tears were rolling down her eyes: and it was the best she's felt all day.

"Oh God, Donnie, I needed that." She wiped her eyes, a few chuckles still escaping her mouth. "Good Lord."

"Please don't tell anyone! _Especially_, Mikey. I'll never live it down," he pleaded.

"Secret is safe with me," she said. "Where's Eve?"

"Going over some stuff since I had to work."

"Ah. I see. Sorry I ran out on you it's just…"

He held up a hand, rising from his chair in the process. "Don't worry about it. I'm on my lunch, want a sandwich?"

"Yeah. I haven't eaten much today. I was thinking of practicing with the katana. My sword skills suck."

"If Leo were here he'd give you some pointers," said Don. "Splinter could help you."

"He's already got enough on his plate trying to keep me from burning his house down."

"Leo taught our other human friend April some basic maneuvers, maybe when she gets back from her business trip to South America she can help you out. She… she said she was going to try and find Leo but… It's a big area to look over."

"So, why did he leave again?" asked Alice.

So while he made them both turkey sandwiches, Donatello explained to Alice Leo's story. He sounded very honorable, and he took the burden of being a leader a little too seriously. To become a better leader he went on a quest and the quest was apparently taking a little longer than expected. Alice could tell Donatello looked up to Leonardo with the passionate way he spoke of their last battle with Shredder as well as how he kept them together as a family.

"It wasn't until you came that things started to slowly get back to normal. Mikey and I are in the dojo again and even Raphael has been caught in there a few times. Maybe… Maybe now that we have a forth again Splinter will let us go topside. Not that it stops Raph…" He cast Alice a glance. "It's obvious he's the Nighwatcher, but maybe if we can get back as a group he won't have to go out on his own anymore."

"I don't know… Raphael made it pretty clear that no one was allowed to do anything until Leo came back," said Alice softly.

"We'll see. Especially with your situation, we may have to do something without Leonardo around."

"Ugh… Yeah. My situation sucks."

"We've beaten the odds countless times. We won't let anything happen to you, not if we can help it."

"Thanks." Donatello's watch on his wrist beeped. He handed Alice a sandwich before taking a bite of his own. "Back to business?"

"Ugh, yeah," he said around a bite of ham and cheese.

"Go get-em, Tiger," she said with a wink, making Don blush before clumsily making his way out of the kitchen, leaving her alone with only her worried thoughts as company.

.

.

.

"Who the hell are you?" Alice froze in her steps then slowly turned around to see a very large man with a somewhat pissed off look on his face standing in the doorway of the lair. Her eyes narrowed as he pulled out a hockey stick then pointed it at her. "You're trespassin'."

"Actually, I've been living here, so if ANYONE is trespassing it's you."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, stepping closer. He was doing his best to be intimidating. All Alice was, was unimpressed.

"Uh. _Yeah_. Thought I made that pretty clear. What're you going to do with that _little_ stick of yours?" Alice, just to show him who it was that was boss, brought her hand up and the fireball came to life. "Because I'm not impressed."

"Case?" Raphael came into the room. "What're you doin' here?"

"Raph!" shouted Casey Jones, pointing his hockey stick at her. "Who is this crazy broad?"

"Alice, meet my pal Casey. Case, this is Alice… Alice, he's cool, you can put the fireworks away."

"Hm." She let the flame die. "Fine. Do know he threatened me first."

"Doesn't surprised me," said Raph, slugging his friend on the arm.

"Anyway, I'll be in the dojo."

"Try not to burn it down."

Alice's answer was flipping him off as she walked away. Casey let out a low whistle. Not only was he impressed with her balls to flip Raph off, but he also liked the way her hips swayed when she walked. Suddenly, the back of his head hurt, and he turned to Raphael while rubbing it. He'd hit him. What the fuck?!

"Geez, what's with you?"

"Nothing. Just making sure you keep your eyes off of her. Remember April?"

"Yeah! C'mon man, it's not like I'd do anything, but you gotta appreciate the view." Casey held up his hands in surrender as Raphael went to hit him again. "Ok! Ok! No more lookin'! Geez, it's like yer going out with her or something."

When Raphael rubbed the back of his neck instead of commenting, Casey starred at his friend: suspicious. A blush formed, darkening his face, and when Raphael couldn't look him in the eye: Casey laughed and pointed.

"You totally have a crush!"

"I do not!"

"Why you turnin' red then?"

"Shut up!"

"You kiss her?"

Raphael smirked and Casey clapped his friend on the shell. Sonuvabitch, his best pal had himself a girl. Okay, so he'd been worried. A lot lately. He and April talked about it more than once. How they felt bad because there weren't a lot of options for their friends. To the point they'd even spent a night going over their friends and trying to think of one that wouldn't freak out seeing a mutant turtle. 

"Didn't know you had it in you, Knucklehead," said Casey, who then got shoved away by a somewhat embarrassed Raphael. Casey could tell his friend didn't want to talk about it. Who knew he'd be the private type when it came to kissing and stuff? One would think Raphael would be boasting about it. "She any good?"

"You're really makin' it hard not to pummel ya."

"Fine, fine… So, I talked to Ape today. Said she might have a lead on Leo."

"Oh yeah?" said Raphael, trying to put on the face that he could care less: and failing miserably.

"Yeah. Some villagers talking about ghost stories. On how people of the bad variety end up getting the crap beat out of them… She's going to search more thoroughly after she makes some deals for that Winters dude she's working for."

"Don said he was collecting a bunch of statues for his museum or whatever," said Raphael, absentmindedly taking out his sai and twirling it around in his right hand as they walked to the kitchen. Eve was sitting at the table, papers spread out before her. The coffee machine was almost empty and her cup was half full as her eager eyes traveled over texts. She looked up when they came in and Raphael winced internally when seeing the small speck of fear in her eyes when she saw Casey. Had he known Casey was going to come over, he'd of warned her. "Eve, this is Casey. Friend of ours. He goes out with April."

"Right. Don told me about you. Uh, hi," she said, reaching out her hand in greeting and Casey slowly took it. He was giving her an appreciative glance as well and Raphael had to remember to knock him one for that as well. Geez, keep it in you pants, Jones. 

"Hi… So I totally need to know why it is we suddenly have new friends and I wasn't told," said Casey. "First the crazy pyromaniac yer jonesing for and now this chick." He stopped to give her a small, apologetic look. "No offence, just that a heads up would've been nice."

"I'm Alice's neighbor, Eve," said Eve, taking her hand back. "I have a crazy ex out to kill me."

"Uh, oh, well, that sucks."

"Alice is her friend," said Raphael. "And asked us to help."

"Oh," said Casey, scratching the back of his head. "So, you and Alice are together... Who's she with?"

"What?" asked Eve, turning pink.

"Ugh, Casey," muttered Raphael, facepalming. "No one."

"You sure? I'd say Donatello."

"What?" she squeaked, earning a grin from Casey. If Raphael didn't know any better he'd of thought Case was playing matchmaker. "Why?"

"You totally got the hot geek thing going with the glasses and flannel-"

"Knock it off, Lughead," growled Raphael, elbowing Casey in the gut before looking at Eve. "Ignore him. He's an idiot. C'mon, let's go to the dojo… You can spar Alice."

"I don't wanna be fried!" complained Casey.

"She won't. Even without the fire she'll kick your ass."

"Game on!"

All Eve could do was watch as they left the kitchen, her blue eyes wide under her glasses.

"What just happened?" she asked herself before tugging on the black and blue flannel shirt she was wearing. "And what's wrong with flannel?"

.

.

.

Karai tensed as Victor Wendt strolled into her office. The man was detestable and Karai only barely tolerated him because of the handsome amounts of money he donated to the Foot's science team for their protection. Not that they were bankrupt it just meant she could have extra luxuries. However, the rude way he requested their meeting was one strike, and if he were to gain more: she'd dispose of him.

"Mr. Wendt."

"Mistress Karai," he said being cordial and offering his hand. She took it to shake but he twisted and placed a small kiss on her pale skin and she felt as if a snake was coiling itself around her spine. Strike two. "Thank you for meeting with me."

"What is it that you have lost?" she asked, tugging her hand back, using a little extra force to do it. She calmly strode back behind the safety of her desk. Oh, it wasn't for her, it was for him. "It must be important, to demand such an urgent meeting from me."

With each word that passed through his mouth about this Eve person she clenched the armrest on her chair tighter and tighter. She was not stupid. The fake concern he had for this woman made her want to scream at him to be truthful. This woman, Karai was certain, had run as far away from him as she could. Karai's eyes narrowed as he lay down a picture of two women on a street, not because of the redheaded woman, but with the company she kept. Alice.

"This girl, I want her too, she's…"

"Let me stop you right there," said Karai, who then pointed to a picture of Alice. "This woman is of special interest to me and you will NOT interfere with your petty revenge against a woman that had the mind to leave you. In fact, I will place them both under my protection from you. Not that it'll be needed. The company this woman is with now will more than likely keep them safe. Though with the power she possesses I'd watch my step if I were you." She saw his wrapped hand. "Unless you've already been witness to her talents?"

"What is she?" he asked.

"That is none of your concern."

"The hell it isn't! She has Eve and I want her back NOW!" Karai was up and over her desk in one fluid motion, the dagger she always kept strapped under her desk in hand, and pressed the said dagger to his throat. He squawked like a chicken when the blade pressed into his skin. "You will leave. If you go against what I wish all and any protection for you will be disbanded."

"You can't do this," he growled. "Eve will be mine again."

"I do not care about Eve but I will not help you with kidnapping her." She stepped away from him and he stood from his chair, the piece of furniture crashing backwards to the floor, alerting her guards. Two ninja came in, swords drawn, but she raised a hand to halt their advances. "Goodbye Mr. Wendt. I wish you luck on your quest for you will surely need it."

Victor was furious. He rushed out of the office and into his Town Car. He demanded his driver take him home all while he looked over the photos of the women he wanted dead. The first assassination attempt had been a failure and he knew it was because of this Alice woman. His men searched both apartments and found nothing but Eve's work information and she wouldn't be stupid enough to show up there. However, if she did, he had men stationed there to be safe. That was the last thought he had, before his entire car exploded into a ball of flame, startling pedestrians and setting off car alarms. Watching the scene from her office on the top floor of the high-rise was Karai, a stoic look on her face.

"Strike three." A figure entered her office from behind her and she spoke without looking at them. "Wendt has been taken care of. He was proving to be a larger problem than we could handle. He was looking for the female."

"How unfortunate for him," said a somewhat raspy voice.

"Indeed." She looked over her shoulder. "Proceed with the plan as before."

"Yes Mistress."

"How long?" she asked.

"Five days."

"Hm… Perfect."

.

.

.

**TBC**…


	7. Chapter 7

Note: So here come the final two chapter reposts. It's taken longer than I thought because I did add and subtract some things to make it a little different from what I have posted on ff.net. I'm happy to see some are reading! Thanks for the kudos! I am working all weekend so I probably won't start the repost on Book 2 until next Monday. If you cant wait, don't forget Book 2 and the start of Book 3 are on ff.net as well. Same profile name! 

.

.

.

Alice had practiced with the katana for about an hour before growing tired of it. She knew some of the maneuvers she was doing were wrong, but she didn't want to trouble anyone else to teach her. She taught herself a couple cool tricks and then left, strapping the katana to her back. Sighing she walked through an empty kitchen to the living area where Raphael, Casey, and Michelangelo were watching SportsCenter. She sat between Michelangelo and Raphael on the sofa then nudged Mikey with her arm to gain his attention. She mouthed the words '_I'm sorry'_. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a hug which she accepted, ignoring the disapproving scowl from Raphael.

"Done practicing?" asked Mikey.

"Yep."

"Any better?" asked Raphael.

"Sure."

The show was over and Mikey was eagerly channel surfing. Alice straightened a little in the seat but let Mikey keep his arm around her. He was quickly becoming a good friend. Like Eve. She reached to her other side, though, and grazed her hand over Raph's. Letting him know with her touch that it was still HIM and only him she wanted. She wasn't sure why he did it. When his hand tightened over hers she felt like butterflies were in her stomach. Ugh. She was getting mushy. 

"How was your party today?" asked Alice, not wanting to think about her feelings on Raphael just yet. So she needed Mikey's stories to distract her.

"Great, especially when a three-year-old ralphed cake all over his mom. Priceless."

"Ew," said Alice, making a face while the boys chuckled. She stilled then put her hand on Mikey's knee when something caught her attention. "Go back two channels. Here! Turn it up!"

_"…car explosion rocked the business area injuring five people and killing two. Victor Wendt and his driver, Charlie Davis, were killed shortly after…"_

"Well… That takes care of THAT problem," said Alice.

"Guess so," said Raphael. "Wonder who did us this favor?"

"Shall I order pizza?" asked Alice. "To celebrate?"

Casey, Mikey, and Raphael all looked at each other, and then nodded.

"You shall," they all answered.

.

.

.

"I almost can't believe it," said Eve, hands clenched around her coffee cup. Alice just delivered the news of Victor's death but had been called away by Raphael to pick up pizzas, leaving her alone with Donatello only when Eve said it would be okay. "It's so surreal."

"This is good news," he said, placing his hand on hers.

"It makes me wonder who hated him so much to just kill him like that."

"That's the Police Department's problem. Casey said if they end up calling for you that he'd be your alibi, and so will Alice."

"They wouldn't think… I mean I know that…" Her wide blue eyes met his and he mentally smacked himself for worrying her for probably nothing. "What if they DO think I did it? Oh God!"

"Hey, hey, calm down." He took her by the shoulders and had to focus on calming her instead of how nice it was to touch her. "It'll be fine. Ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. I… I'm being silly," she said, shaking her head, pulling red strands of hair over her shoulder. She pulled her glasses off of her face and rubbed a tired hand over her eyes. She stifled a yawn against her wrist and placed her glasses back over her eyes before taking the ponytail holder that'd been around her wrist and putting her hair up in a sloppy bun. "We have work to do."

"You should go take a nap," said Donatello, rising from his chair to take her half gone coffee. "You've been at it all day."

"So have you," she countered.

"Yeah, but…" He stopped.

"But…" she challenged, eyebrow raising.

"I… Am not tired?" he finished lamely.

"Donatello you clearly are. How about this? We go eat some pizza, joining the others, then go to bed together at a decent time and work on this in the morning?"

Donatello tried so hard to block out the innuendo in her comment. Them going to bed, _together_, and failed… He liked Eve. A lot. He liked her fiery hair and bright blue eyes. The flannel top she had on with the two top buttons undone to show some of her soft, white skin was his favorite by far. Even her jeans, which fitted her form perfectly, were a turn on. How did Raphael deal with it? Oh, right, Alice liked him back… _Shell_.

"Are you ok?" asked Eve.

"What?" he asked, jumping and hitting his knee against his desk, making his teeth clench. "Fine. I'm fine!"

"Ok." Eve stood from her chair, stretching, and Donatello's eyes zeroed in on a marking above her right hip… Was that a…

"You have a tattoo?" he asked.

"What? Oh…" She actually blushed, a hand coming to pull the hem of her shirt down a little. "Yeah."

"Can I see?"

"I, uh… I guess, but, oh God this is going to be embarrassing. Don't laugh, ok?"

"Ok…" His eyes widened as she lifted up her shirt and pulled her jeans down a little. There, on her right hip, was a mini-sea turtle. "Oh… Wow."

"I know! I was drunk one night, stupid since I wasn't twenty-one, and my friends and I wanted to get tattoos. I remember Jena got Tweety Bird, Shelby got the Road Runner, and Tabitha got a lily. I… Always thought turtles were cute, so, I, uh… Got one."

She finished her sentence very quietly, looking down to the floor, cheeks flushed as she pulled her shirt down. Donatello couldn't stop himself, in fact he was certain the only way he would stop would be if someone walked in. He went to her, placed one of his large fingertips beneath her chin, and then tilted her head up so that she looked up toward him.

"I like it." Being brave he bent down to whisper in her ear. "A lot." Swallowing his nervousness he took her hitched breathing as a sign and pressed his lips to her cheek. "Let's go get some pizza."

He walked away, unable to look at her in case she had a look of horror or disgust on her face. In fact the closer he got to the kitchen area, the more and more he was kicking himself for being a shell-fer-brains. Had he looked back, though, he'd have seen the small smile on her face while she lovingly cupped her cheek where he had pressed his kiss.

.

.

.

"Love you too, goodnight…"

Alice hung up her phone and sighed. Her sister talked for about an hour and it was pushing midnight. All in the lair was quiet. Raphael had walked Casey back to his apartment and Alice knew he was probably out somewhere playing Watcher. Going to the room she shared with Eve she saw her friend in bed, a small smile on her face, sleeping soundly. Alice was happy that Eve could finally start putting her past behind her. Alice knew Mikey and Splinter were sleeping and if Donatello wasn't sleeping he was probably busy in his lab. Feeling more than a little antsy, Alice was about to break a rule, well, more like find a loophole. Splinter had said no going out to go thieving; he said nothing about going out to STOP it. Feeling more than a little sneaky she rummaged through her clothes. Unhappy with what she found she slipped out of the lair and within fifteen minutes she was in her old apartment. Keeping the lights off in case someone was watching, she slunk in the darkness to her closet. There, she found her outfit she thieved in and slipped it on. It was like coming home and a part of her wanted to purr in contentment. She'd had her coat with her but she couldn't very well have worn it with her packed sweats or jeans. She put the hood on now but her face was still too visible. She went to the bathroom and rummaged in her makeup. She found some black eyeshadow and liner and put it on thick, even above the lid. She also found an old mask she'd had before she'd tossed it in favor of the hood. She bit her bottom lip before putting it on. It felt awkward as fuck, and she looked like a Green Arrow lackey, but no one would be able to tell who she was now. 

Slipping out of her window, she went to the rooftop and it didn't take long for a scream to pierce the air. She sprinted toward the ledge of her building then leapt gracefully toward the area it was coming from. The air caressed her skin and the earth hummed with each step she took. The rapidly boiling heat of impending battle was in her veins as well as the gentle sway of calm focus. While she maneuvered down a fire escape and to an alley where a woman was being cornered by five men she suddenly felt like she was doing the right thing for the first time in her life.

Playing the freaking hero.

"Hello boys," said Alice, taking out her katana and giving it an easy twirl. "Let's play."

.

.

.

Alice winced as she leaned against the wall of the elevator as it moved downward. One of the punks had gotten a lucky shot in and sliced the skin of her outer thigh before she could disarm him. Even now, after a half assed job of cleaning and wrapping the wound, she could feel the stickiness of the blood on her jeans. The damn woman that had been in trouble hadn't even thanked Alice or even offered a reward! Alice found the hero thing to be one large jip. After limping her way home she'd showered to be rid of most of the grime and the gunk off her face then slipped on a pair of jeans and a baggy, hooded sweatshirt. Her leg hurt too much to pull on her boots so she settled for ballet flats, shoes she rarely wore.

"Probably need stitches," she muttered. "Should have just taken the time to do it."

It would have also given her time to think of a story to tell Raphael. She was certain that no matter how innocent she tried to make herself he'd still deem her guilty and rail on her for sneaking out. Perhaps she'd do what all women around the world did when they wanted to get out of a jam, and that's use her looks and charm to weasel herself out of the doghouse.

"Damn it," she muttered, hand going to her thigh as the muscle started to shake from overexertion. "This sucks."

The elevator stopped and she limped her way to the entrance of the lair. All was quiet and Alice was grateful for the small reprieve. Hurrying to the medical area she hesitated for a moment when hearing the familiar clicking and clacking of a keyboard. Donatello was obviously up and so she straightened her back and entered the room.

"I need some help," said Alice, making Donatello quit his typing and twist around in his chair. His eyes practically bugged out of his head when seeing her leg and he hurriedly vacated his seat to get to her. If he'd known he'd be starting off his early morning with an injury he'd have had two cups of coffee. Though he was thankful Eve had gotten him to sleep early the other night. He'd felt refreshed when he'd woken up at four. Even with Leo gone, old habits were hard to shake. He'd always been up early, taking time for himself before training at five. She hobbled to him then gripped his biceps as he carefully maneuvered her up onto the examination table. Within a moment he had scissors in his hand and was cutting up the leg of her pants. He saw her wound had already been bandaged once. 

"Dare I ask?"

"Ok, _fine_, so I snuck out to my place. Sue me. I ran into a group of guys wanting to do damage to a girl and I stepped in," said Alice, wincing as he pulled at the bandage that stuck to her wound. It'd been the truth with a couple of details left out. "One of them got a lucky shot in."

"Knife?" he asked, uncapping a brown bottle that Alice knew all too well.

"Yeah. Oh God, I hate that stuff…"

"Would you rather have an infection?" asked Donatello, eye ridge rising. "I could get the alcohol instead. Pretty sure that'd hurt more."

"No." Alice gripped the edge of the table with white knuckles and squished her eyes closed while clenching her jaw and within two seconds she felt the liquid and a hot second after that, heated pain. "FUCK! Ow! Ow, ow, OW!"

She cursed through gritted teeth and Donatello looked at her sympathetically as pink, white, and even grey bubbles rose from her wound.

"Just be lucky they didn't nick the femoral tibial artery."

"I'm supposed to be indestructible," whined Alice with a slight pout. "Why must I be so fragile still?"

"Well, from the looks of it, some tissue has already reattached itself," he said before injecting her leg with a numbing agent. After it kicked in he started suturing. "Perhaps enhanced regeneration?"

"Whoopie, I'd rather have the Emma Frost advantage," said Alice. "Plus you have a shell for protection. You have no idea what us mere humans go through."

"Hm, yes, I so pity your weakling skin," said Donatello around a smile, making Alice want to swat him but he was stitching her up and so she decided to give him a break. Besides, it was the first smile she'd gotten from him that wasn't tense or because Eve was in the room. 

"Raph is gunna kill me," she said after he instructed her to lift up her leg so he could wrap it with gauze.

"You'll have a slight reprieve because he hasn't come home yet. The sun is coming up now so if he isn't home within the next few-" Donatello's shell cell beeped and he handed Alice the unrolled gauze to answer. "Hey Raph...Yeah…Mhm… She's right here, I'll tell her. Ok. Bye."

He set his phone down then took the gauze from her.

"Your execution will be postponed for Raphael is spending the day at Casey's."

"Sweet!"

"As for you…" He finished gauzing and taping her leg. He went to the small corner where a sink was and washed his hands before filling a paper cup with some water. He handed that as well as some pain pills to her that they had on stash. "Rest that leg up, you are going to need it. You want crutches? I'll even carry you up there if you need hel-"

"Donnie! I heard some screaming and decided that finding out what was going on was worth more than sleeping in… Whoa! Alice! You ok, Dudette?" Mikey's concerned gaze traveled up the length of her leg where the tattered and bloodied jeans gave way to a snow-white gauze. "Did Raph finally stab you with a sai in a fit of rage?"

He was teasing, but Alice saw the edge of concern.

"She decided to play vigilante last night and got stabbed with a knife," said Donatello as he walked to his computer. Alice huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and Mikey '_awed_' while ruffling her hair, irritating her, but she shrugged it off. Because the concern was still there in his baby blues she reached out and patted his shoulder.

"I'm ok. I'm more worried about what Raphael will do once he finds out about this. He's staying at Casey's. Oh! Don? Can you call him back on the thingy?"

"You're not going to do what I think you're going to do… Are you?" he asked, reluctantly giving her his cell because even if he didn't do it, Mikey would, the little anarchist.

"It'll give him time to cool off…" She furrowed her brows. "I totally don't know how to use this."

She watched as Donnie brought up the contact menu and then waited. The phone was on speaker because Mikey insisted and while it rang Don felt his anticipation rising. He knew Raphael was going to be mad. He was going to be pissed at Alice for getting hurt and at him for not telling him right away. For once, Mikey would be the sole turtle in the clear. Suddenly, Don wished he was in South America with Leo. On the third ring Raphael answered.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Alice?" asked Raphael, sounding tired. He'd probably been up all night and was looking to get some shut eye. "What's up?"

"Just giving you the heads up that I got into a little, _teeny-tiny_ scuffle last night that ended up with me _barely_ getting scratched on my leg."

"WHAT? You went out last night? Of all the dumb-" He broke off and Alice heard him inhale then exhale deeply. "Yer ok?"

"Donnie stitched me up and Mikey is hovering over my shoulder making sure I don't fall over," she said.

"You said it was just a scratch," he said and she knew his teeth were gritted and she wondered if his wonderful amber eyes were glowing yet. "How bad is it, really?"

"Donnie said it's already healing. I'm going to crawl in bed and rest today, ok?"

A long pause and Alice wondered what he was doing. Was he still trying to contain his anger? Was he trying to think of something else to say? She bit her lower lip, her now worried, grey colored eyes meeting Mikey's blue. Mikey felt some more pity for her and patted her on her good leg.

"Raph?"

"You told me on the phone on purpose, didn't you?" he said in an accusatory tone.

"Maybe. It'll give you time to cool off before you see me."

"Tell me you at least beat the livin' shell out of the fucker that did it," he growled.

"Yep. Then after all that, not even a thank you from the girl I saved," she whined.

Raphael chuckled. "Welcome to our world, Sweetheart."

Mikey sounded like he was choking on something and Donatello's eyes had widened at the endearing sounding pet name. Raphael had said it softly, almost… Lovingly? No way…

"I…" Alice cleared her throat, kicking at Mikey with her good leg. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Goodnight Raphael." Wanting to get back on familiar ground with him she lowered her voice seductively. "Your bed won't be the same without you."

Raphael's breathing hitched and a soft growl sounded through the tiny speaker. Mikey and Don went from amused to suddenly awkward. 

"I knew I shoulda come home," he growled.

"G'nite, Lover," purred Alice before ending the call. Luckily, hitting the red button had been the correct way to go. She brought her wrist up to her mouth, suppressing a yawn the best she could but failing. "Tired…"

"I'll help you up," said Mikey and Alice didn't protest as he cradled her in his arms. In fact she snuggled into him, sighing contentedly.

"Careful of her leg, Mikey," reminded Donatello and Michelangelo nodded before carrying the female up to Raphael's room.

"Stay awake so that you can get into cleaner clothes," said Mikey.

"Mhm…"

"Alice?" He gave her a gentle shake and sighed. She was out like a light and he hadn't the heart to wake her up. Luckily, Eve chose that moment to exit her room, looking refreshed even at five in the morning. Honestly, what happened to sleeping in with this household?! "Eve! Little help?"

"What happened?" she gasped, blue eyes widening. "Is she ok?"

"Yeah. She got into it with some punks and is now sleeping it off. Thing is her clothes are all bloody and…" Mikey blushed as he lay her upon Raphael's bed, ignoring the small pang of… Jealousy? Longing? Not for Alice, no, he thought of her as a sister just… Someone. Suddenly he wanted to know what it was like to have someone in his life. He wasn't blind. What he'd seen with Alice and Raph he now saw with Eve and Don. Well, not exactly the same. There was less swearing involved. "She needs different clothes."

"Oh! I get it. Ok."

"Careful for her leg," instructed Mikey before backing out of the room. He heard Eve scold Alice about not being careful enough before he descended the stairs. Doing his best to forget all about what he'd been thinking, he flipped over the end of the couch and slumped back while grabbing the remote on the cushion. He turned on the news so that they could reveal what his brother had been up to the night before.

.

.

.

Karai looked out through the window of her office, the bright sun making her squint. She never would admit it but she missed the trees, mountains, and lush foliage of rural Japan. She disliked the loud sounds of the city, the concrete buildings that held no soul like a tree did. Most of all she hated all the people. Sighing, she watched as her breath fogged up the glass and then brought up a delicate fingertip to trace the number three. In three days she would use Alice to unleash a powerful force that'd bring back the one being she missed so dearly. Karai had hoped she'd be the one worthy of the power, and with it being someone so unwilling to cooperate with her she had to resort to dirty tactics. Twisting away from the window she went to her computer and pressed the '_enter_' key, revealing a camera feed. On the screen was a pregnant woman they'd acquired a few hours ago. She was in her seeping attire and Karai had also decided to not blindfold her. Karai could tell she was crying while fighting against the loose bonds. Karai knew she held no real threat to escape, and in her delicate state, had ordered her men to be gentler with her.

Alice's sister.

They had taken her right out of her bed, her sleeping husband none the wiser. Karai looked down at the small, pink phone on her desk. Danica's phone. She wouldn't call Alice yet. She had to wait for the right moment. Though she was certain the husband would eventually call Alice to report to her that the sister was missing, she wasn't worried. The right moment would soon be upon her. 

She would bring the Shredder back to life.

.

.

.

Raphael had risked a lot to leave Casey's during the day. However, he made it without being seen, and was tired as fuck by the time he got to his bedroom. Yawning deeply he pushed the tiredness aside while climbing into his bed. He looked Alice over from the delicate features on her face, to her scared lip, and down the column of her throat. The steady rise and fall of her chest was reassuring but he still frowned when getting to her bandaged leg. He saw a small spot of blood that came through the otherwise flawless bandage and his thick finger slowly trailed right above the bandage, rousing Alice.

"Raph?" Her voice was husky, laced with sleep. "What're you doing here?"

"Had to come."

"Worried?" she asked, closing her eyes while his fingertip went down her cheek.

"Yes."

"I'm fine," she whispered, body trembling. From his touch? The cold? Perhaps remembering the fight she'd been in and knowing how close she'd been to losing TOO much blood.

"I'm too tired to argue with ya now." He settled down, carefully pulling her to him, his chin resting atop her head. "Later…"

"Hmm…" She took in his scent, shivered again when feeling those strong, deadly arms coming around her as if protecting her. "Ok…"

"But if you evah do somethin' that dumb again. I might kill ya myself," he muttered, accent thick with emotion. 

"Love you too, Raph…" she whispered before darkness claimed her, unaware of how the turtle tensed, then looked down at her in complete awe, fear, and maybe even a little love of his own.

"Ah, _shell_…" Had she meant it? Had she been joking? Sarcastic? He wouldn't be getting any answers right this moment but… If the warm feeling that suddenly spread through his chest was any clue… He might actually love her as well. "Double shell."

.

Leonardo watched as April continued to call for him in the darkened cave. A part of him felt bad for just leaving her like that, but he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't keep hearing about how much they all missed him and were lost without him. How she wanted him to come back. His hands clenched while the debate roared inside his head. Could he go home now? He didn't feel like a better leader. He didn't know if he was ready to come back yet. What if Splinter was disappointed in him? His brothers? He couldn't face them without having bettered himself otherwise this would have all been for nothing.

Then again, what April said made his heart constrict in pain.

Maybe... maybe it WAS time to go back.

.

.

. 

**TBC...**


	8. Chapter 8

Note: Final part! Again, I will start posting Book Two after the weekend! Though you can skip waiting for me and just find me on ff.net and start. However, as I warned in previous postings this week, I will be making edits and changes here and there as well when I repost here. Thanks for the kudos! Happy to know others still are interested in the story!

.

.

.

Alice nibbled on her bottom lip while her eyes traveled over the screen of her laptop. Sounds of battle in the background had her rolling her eyes in annoyance. Even though the large gash in her leg was nothing but a pink scar on her flesh, Raphael and even Splinter suggested she take the day off. She knew it was a form of punishment for going out on her own and decided to take it without a fight. She could tell Raphael was surprised she hadn't burst at the seams and that'd been gratifying enough.

So now, instead of pummeling her somewhat boyfriend and his brothers, she was staring over baby items for her sister Danica. Her total was pushing the 500 dollar mark. Too much? Too little? Didn't matter. She could afford it. Her thieving ways paid off in many ways. Why wasn't she living in a penthouse suite with champagne and caviar? Well, mainly because she preferred beer or tequila and thought that caviar tasted like ass but that was beside the point. She liked her little apartment. Oh, she had places elsewhere. When the heat got to be too much for her she'd escape to Italy, Cabo, or Japan but she liked her little apartment in New York. She liked hearing the arguing couples on the street, the noisy cabdrivers, and the smell of a freshly grilled hotdog. Though, since finding about Raphael's heritage, a small part of her wanted to bring all the brothers, Splinter, and their friends to Japan so they could see their "homeland". It was something to think over around Christmas. She would have time to get her piloting license completed so that she could fly them there… and find a larger place out in the middle of nowhere so that they could freely roam the land without worrying about someone seeing them.

Was she seriously making holiday plans? Though the idea of having Raphael as her co-pilot made her smile and maybe a little horny as well: was she fooling herself for thinking this could be long term? Footfalls had her looking up and a sweaty Michelangelo plopped himself beside her smelling like he'd been trained hard. He had a towel around his neck and was gripping both ends when curious eyes traveled over her screen.

"Baby stuff?" he asked, eyes widening as they traveled to her stomach.

"Not for me," said Alice. "My sister."

"Oh. And here I was already thinkin' how awesome of an Uncle I'd be."

"No doubt," said Alice as she hit the clothing link and bounced on the cushions. "Oh cute! A turtle onsie!"

"Jesus you're spoiling the kid!" said Mikey as he saw the total on the top of the screen. "You've spent more on him than we spend on groceries in a month!"

"Oh," said Alice, biting her lip again, a small wave of guilt hitting her because she'd been staying here and had yet to cook dinner for them. She'd rectify that tonight! She had the stuff. "I was going to make you all some dinner tonight."

"Really?" asked Mikey, eyes almost sparkling.

"Really."

"Hey," greeted Raphael, rubbing his neck and wincing. "What're you two up to?"

Mikey and Alice shared a look, a silent agreement passed between them that they'd play a little game with Raphael.

"Baby stuff," said Alice, keeping her tone calm.

"W-What?" asked Raphael, eyes widening comically and Alice had to look away to keep a straight face. She flipped the computer around for him to see the screen.

"You like the turtle onsie? I'm already adding it to the cart." Raphael looked a little greener than usual and was sweating some more as well. "I think Danica would like it."

"D-Danica?" Realization dawned and Alice saw… Disappointment? Had he really wanted… Oh, wow. Now she felt a little bad. He cleared his throat. "Right. Danica."

"Dude," whispered Mikey, thankfully nabbing Raphael's attention. "Was Donnie a little more aggressive than usual today?"

"Yeah," said Raphael, sitting on the other side of Alice, rubbing the back of his neck once again. "He was."

"I think its cause Eve is leaving," said Alice. "I talked to her this morning when getting coffee."

"Oh," said Mikey. "That explains a lot then."

Alice and Raphael looked up at Mikey. Curious. Knowing he said something he shouldn't have he fidgeted. Looking over his shoulder to make sure Don wasn't around, he leaned closer to them.

"He likes her. Like… LIKES her likes her."

"Ah," said Alice and Raphael.

Alice quickly completed her order and then closed her laptop. She set a mental reminder to call Danica and warn her about the packages on their way. She placed her laptop on the makeshift coffee table and stood up. She stretched before twisting around, bending to give Raphael a quick kiss on his lovely green lips.

"I'm going to go talk to her. At least convince her to stay for dinner tonight. YOU TWO shower, cause you smell. Badly."

"Hey," whined Mikey, lifting an arm and inhaling. "Bleck. Ok. Point taken."

"Hey," said Raphael, snatching her wrist. "Meet me later? I have somethin' to show ya."

"Ok," said Alice.

"Oh, what'cha gunna show her? Huh? Huh? Your-"

"DON'T finish that," growled Raphael, pointing a finger at Mikey.

"Boys," muttered Alice, grabbing her laptop and phone. She didn't even get ten feet away before Raphael and Mikey were on the floor, rolling around, Mikey squealing and Raphael promising pain. 

She deftly climbed the stairs, dropping her computer off in Raph's room before heading to Leo's. Upon entering, Eve was packing the rest of her things. Alice studied the girl so different from her. She wore a floral print maxi dress of purples and blues that Alice wouldn't be caught dead in because she SO didn't do flowers. Her red hair flowed down past her shoulders in curls and finally glasses hid blue eyes that snapped up when Eve noticed her presence.

"Hey."

"Really leaving, huh?" asked Alice.

"I have a life to go back to," said Eve, playing with a beaded bracelet that wrapped around her entire wrist. "I have a job to get to tomorrow."

"Even though he's dead, Victor's goons could still be out for your head. Not to mention the Foot are probably still casing our apartments."

"They aren't after me," said Eve, playing with her hair. "I… I can't just hide down here. I can't let fear control me."

"Ok," said Alice with a shrug. "You have a point. At least stay for dinner."

"I… I dunno…"

Alice's eyes narrowed at that. Something else what up. A spark of fear had come across her friend's face and she was playing with that bracelet around her wrist, stretching it to the point Alice wondered if she'd be sweeping up beads any moment.

"Ok. What's up with you?" Eve opened her mouth and Alice held up a hand. "The truth, Eve."

Eve sighed, looking down at her bare feet, shoulders drooped. Her hair hid her face more than her glasses did. Alice went to her friend, put her hands on her shoulders for some support, then asked her again what the matter was and Eve looked up looking so lost. Torn.

"I like Donatello."

"And?"

"And…" Eve starting wringing her hands. "I don't know what to do about it."

"Tell him."

"What? No!" Eve stepped away. "He doesn't… He…"

"Totally does," said Alice. "Mikey, Raph, and I were just talking about this. He digs you, Eve. He took it out on Raphael and Mikey during training this morning because he knew you were leaving."

"I told him last night," said Eve. "That I was leaving."

"Why are you running?" asked Alice.

"I… Do you feel wrong? Like… Being with a different species? Raphael isn't human."

"So?" asked Alice with a raised brow.

"It isn't… Isn't…_Natural_. We aren't supposed... God said that bestiality-"

"STOP." Alice's command had Eve biting back a squeak and Alice closed her eyes, because she knew they were red with rage. "DON'T ever say that about them again. You think I give a fuck? If there was a God he'd want me happy. You happy. They aren't evil demons, for fuckssake, they're still people, Eve!"

"Alice…"

"Let me finish," she snapped, keeping her eyes closed. She didn't want to scare Eve, just hammer some sense into her. "You like him. Who gives a fuck what anyone else thinks? If someone were to come up to me and tell me Raphael and I shouldn't be together because of what he was I'd punch a hole right through their skull. You're the only one I'm giving a free pass to. He's a person, a person I care for." She opened her eyes now, and Eve gasped and took a step back. "You think that? You think I should leave him? Fine. Walk out this door and don't ever talk to me again. I want him. Crave him. Donatello is the sweetest, most caring person I've met. He doesn't have to help me with this prophecy, but he is. He could have just walked away and laughed at me when I came to him, bleeding out, instead he stitched me up. If you want to walk away from that, go the fuck ahead, but keep your moral beliefs to yourself."

Alice turned her back on her friend, breathing deeply, flames dancing beneath her skin and pressing: wanting to come out and BURN something.

"He isn't Vic, Eve. Leave now before you hurt him, or go to him. Right now I don't give a fuck. If you'll please excuse me, I'm going to go fuck my mutant turtle boyfriend." Alice twisted her head around to stare at her friend, angered red meeting frightened blue. "Hope that doesn't offend you."

Then Alice ran. Away from her friend, perhaps for the last time. Tears stung in her eyes. How anyone could think that of her and Raphael? NOT NATURAL! ARGH! She hoped Eve would put on her big girl panties and step outside her fucking secluded box. Now? Now she just needed Raphael's touch to calm her down. She rushed into his room and found him lounging on his bed, reading some sort of motorcycle magazine. Upon seeing her, he straightened up, tossing the magazine to the floor. She rushed to him, leaping forward to land on his lap, his startled grunt silenced by her lips.

"What's…" He moaned as she ran her hands down his sides, over the sensitive skin surrounding his shell. "Wrong?"

"Nothing," whispered Alice as she pressed her lips to his, reveling upon the feel of his cooler, reptilian skin. "Absolutely nothing is wrong. Now shut up and kiss me."

.

.

.

Eve felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She felt… _Awful_. The words she said hadn't sounded right. Now she had not only Donatello upset but Alice as well. Yes she believed in God and she went to church at least once a month, sometimes two. Growing up it'd been every Sunday, in her finest, before the accident. Bestiality was a sin but Donatello wasn't fully animal. On the outside, maybe, but… That's what she's been having problems with. She wanted to know if Alice felt like she was with a human and if the turtle part bothered her. Well, she'd gotten her answer and then some. It was why she'd been running away. She was a coward and was looking for any excuse to run away.

"Dammit," she whispered, shakily sitting down on the bed. She put her hands on her head and fought the tears that wanted to spill. She couldn't leave yet. Not with Alice so upset with her. She'd go and apologize when she saw her next since she was otherwise occupied. "I really messed up."

Even now, she was messing things up with her and Donatello. She liked him. Really she did. He IS kind and generous and all those other things Alice had said. She remembered the kiss. Felt it on her cheek as if it'd just happened, and knew she wanted more. Without really knowing it, Alice HAD helped her to some degree. She wanted more of what her and Donatello already had. She wanted to share her first cup of coffee in the morning with him. She wanted to read near him while he worked on his newest project. She wanted to take some of the burden she saw when he agonized over the prophecy and how to keep Alice safe. She wanted someone who listened and who also shared what they were thinking. Someone to run ideas past and who didn't insult her whenever she had an opinion. She wanted Donatello.

"No more running," she whispered, standing back up. Her knees were shaky and her heart hammered in her chest but she continued to walk out of the bedroom. She rushed down the hall, down the stairs, and past Splinter who was snoozing in a recliner, one of his shows on. Upon entering the lab she stilled when seeing Donatello, once again hunched over the texts of the prophecy. His eyes looked hardened, yet tired at the same time. Stressed, that was the right word. Stressed about her? Alice? Both of them? Whichever it was, she hoped what she was about to do would help him in some way. What if he ran away? What if-STOP! She would do this, damn it! No regrets! "Hey."

His head snapped up. Some of the hardness fell from his eyes, softening them to a lighter brown.

"Hey," he greeted. He looked back down. "All packed?"

"Yeah." Eve moved fluidly to his side, dress brushing against her bare legs. She put her hand on his arm, relishing in the feel of hardened muscle that tensed then relaxed under her touch. Her fingertips traced down his arm to his elbow and her gentle pull had him twisting around to face her. "Do you want me to come and visit?"

"Only if you want to," he said hoarsely, eyes going to her lips because she was chewing her bottom one, and once again she saw those eyes darken.

"I want to," she said. Really. She did. So she stepped closer, the soft material of her dress the only barrier between them now. Her nipples tightened as she pressed into him and her center clenched deliciously as his arm banded around her waist. "Donatello…"

"I want to kiss you," he whispered, making her startled blue eyes connect with his brown.

"Ok."

"Ok?" he asked, clearly surprised, and her hands ran up to his shoulders and settled there.

"Ok."

Hands that held a slight tremble traveled up her back, neck, and into her hair. His fingers clenched and entrapped her locks before his head bent and lips pressed against hers. Soft, dry lips traveled over her plump, slightly moist ones. She tried to keep her eyes open but of their own accord they drooped down and her fingers clenched against his shoulders while she kissed him back. It was slow, tantalizing, and when he pulled back the both of them were panting as if they'd been holding their breath.

Maybe she had been.

"Wow," he whispered, hands still in her hair, eyes still dark but with passion.

"Yeah." She smiled, one hand rising so that a fingertip could travel down his cheek. "Do it again."

.

.

.

Alice had just put the finishing touches on the lasagna when Eve came into the kitchen holding Donatello's hand. She lifted a brow in question but didn't say anything as she put her creation into the oven and set the timer. After making furious love to her turtle she'd tried contacting her sister. When it went to voicemail she left the message about expecting packages then wandered to the kitchen to start dinner. Lasagna was always one of those easy dishes for her. Danica had always called it her favorite, too.

"Staying for dinner?" asked Alice as she went to the counter to start chopping vegetables for a salad.

"Yes," answered Eve. "I'm staying."

"Good," said Alice. "Donnie, could you be a dear and find Raphael for me? Pretty please? He said he'd help me and he's still up in his room recovering from… Well…"

Donatello blushed, releasing Eve's hand.

"I, uh, perhaps the turtle I should find should be Mikey. I really… _Don't_ want to see Raph after… I'll be back!"

The ploy had gotten him out of the kitchen. Soon the two girls were the only ones left.

"About what I said… I said it wrong," said Eve.

"Oh?" asked Alice while calmly chopping tomatoes. _Slice. Slice. Slice._

"Yes. I didn't mean that… What I meant to say was… I was just scared. Ok? Not because of… Just. I messed up. I think you and Raph are great. In fact, Donnie and I are going to try things out."

"Good," said Alice. "Now be useful and start spreading that butter-garlic sauce on that bread."

"Still friends?" asked Eve quietly and Alice looked over her shoulder at her friend, grin wide.

"Of course."

"I hear my services are required!" said a cheery Mikey.

"Yes! I completely forgot about dessert. Do you have anything around here that we could whip up into something delicious?" asked Alice.

"No problemo," said Mikey, instantly going to the cupboards and pulling out flour, sugar, cocoa, and vanilla. "Chef Mikey knows his stuff!"

.

.

.

"Eat," ordered Karai, but the stubborn pregnant woman only glared at her. "Fine. Harm your child and starve."

"How do I know it isn't poisoned?" asked Danica who was still bound by a chain to a bed in a nicer room than the cell.

Karai had felt somewhat horrible for tying a pregnant woman to a chair and keeping her from food and water. She had recently moved her to one of the suites in her offices usually kept for entertaining new business partners or allies. She didn't trust the woman not to try and escape so she found a chain long enough for her to venture comfortably around the room. Now, they both sat at a table. Karai had brought a turkey sandwich, salad, orange slices, and piece of pie along with a large glass of milk.

"It is not you who I have a feud with."

"My sister. What did she do?"

"She has something of mine," said Karai, watching as the woman's hunger took over and made her eat a bite of the sandwich.

"She stole from you?" asked Danica. "I knew it! I told her being a thief was no-"

"She worked for me. Now has sided with enemies when I need her to finish a task for me. She will come when she knows I have you and I will release you as soon as her services are complete."

"What services?"

Karai, however, didn't answer. Instead she rose calmly from her seat and left.

Two days.

.

.

.

They were all sitting at the table like some sort of family. At the head of the table was Splinter and seated to his left was Raphael followed by Alice then Mikey. To his right was Donatello and Eve. Alice was happy Eve's head finally made it out of her ass. Especially when Donatello smiled at her and kissed her knuckles before digging into his food. To Alice's right was Mikey, moaning while eating his lasagna as if it was giving him some sort of sexual gratification.

"SO good," moaned Mikey.

"It is, indeed, Miss Alice."

"Thank you," said Alice, twirling some cheese and pasta around her fork. One of Raphael's hands rested on her thigh while the other held a fork that was shoveling food into his mouth almost as vigorously as Mikey. "Mikey made a chocolate cake so make sure to leave room for that."

Just then her phone vibrated in her pocket and she set down her fork before taking it out.

"It's Jack. I'm sorry, I have to take this, I've been trying to get a hold of my sister all day."

Splinter nodded, showing her there was no offense taken. She rose from her chair and exited the dining room, opting to lean against the wall of the hall instead so not to distract from the dinner. However, Raphael had followed her, and leaned against the doorway: blocking out the warm light from the kitchen while she answered.

"Jack?"

"Alice? Have you heard from Danica? I haven't seen her all day. Did she make a trip to see you or something without telling me? Is she with you?"

"What?" asked Alice, blood turning to ice in her veins. "What do you mean is she with me? No! What's going on?"

"I woke up this morning and she was gone. I figured she just got an early start to her day. I went to work like normal and tried calling her on my lunch break but got no answer. After work I came home and she still isn't here Alice. I checked our bank statements and she hasn't bought anything today on her debit card so I have no idea where she is at."

"Jesus," whispered Alice. "You try her friends or…"

"Yes. No one saw her. I called you cause… Cause I figured maybe she planned an impromptu trip or something. Her car is still here so maybe she called a cab to the airport or…"

"No. Not in her condition."

"Alice. I called the police but it hasn't been twenty-four hours. What… What should I do?"

Alice had a pretty damn good idea what she had to do. She knew her Dani and she wouldn't leave like that. Not willingly. Something was wrong and she was certain that something was Karai.

"I'm on it. Call me if you hear anything."

Alice tried calling Danica again. Still no answer.

"What's going on?" asked Raphael.

"She has my sister, Raph, I know it."

"Who?"

"Karai. Fuck! I should have seen this coming!" Alice decided to try something else. She sent a text.

_Karai_?

An answer: _Yes_.

_Where is she?_

No answer and Alice growled in frustration before launching herself at Raphael. He enfolded her in his arms while she shook from the anger and fear. Her phone beeped and she looked down to see one new text.

_Tomorrow. Meet at Foot headquarters. Your turtle friends know where. Come alone or she dies.  
_

_._

_._

_._

"I'm going now, Raphael."

"She said tomorrow. Ya think she's gunna like dis? You comin' NOW?"

"She should have expected it," said Alice, strapping on her sword, the power humming at her back.

They were at her apartment. She had rushed out the moment she got that text and Raphael had followed her. She begged him to bring her here and he relented, telling his brothers where he was going. He made the trip in a record amount of time and now she stood in a pair of maneuverable black pants, a black top, and her favorite pair of boots. Every inch of her had a weapon attached to her body. Throwing knives, daggers, even a 9mm. Her most powerful weapon, of course, was at her back.

"I'm coming with ya," said Raphael. "I ain't gunna let ya do this alone."

"She might do something to Dani if she sees you."

"She totally will NOT see us," said Michelangelo from the doorway, making Alice jump.

"Mikey! What are you doing here?"

"Don and I are ready to help you. He's already hacked into the security cameras, cause he's awesome like that, and Karai has the place on total lockdown. He said it's going to be tricky, but we might be able to get in there undetected."

"There are a couple air vents and elevator shafts that look accessible," said Donatello. "There are a few traps on the roof, I'm sure, but I'm certain I can disable them as well as jam their security camera feed for a small amount of time."

"You guys…" Alice's eyes filled with tears. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, sis," said Mikey with a grin.

"We're family now," said Don, as if it were obvious.

"So let's go get our other sister!" cheered Mikey.

"Ready?" asked Raphael, thumb caressing her cheek as his brothers filed out of the room.

"As I'll ever be."

.

.

.

"You were careless to send that text," said Karai's follower. "It isn't time. If you-"

"I am well aware. I cannot wait any longer."

"If you open the portal too soon, it could cause unknown-"

"SILENCE!" ordered Karai. "You work for me. **Do** remember that."

"I mean no disrespect, Mistress Karai," said her follower with a bow. "I only meant to inform you that if the timing isn't correct you could find a time and place where the Shredder hasn't existed on Earth, therefore our efforts will be in vain. The portal can only be opened once with each wielder with the sword. If she, too, enters that portal before-"

"As I said, I am aware," said Karai, lifting her hands and putting a mask on over her face to hide it. "Get the men ready, for we will soon have guests."

.

.

.

A plane descended upon New York, heading toward J.F.K. to land. Landing gear popped out and down and standing on the wheel was a warrior of green, eyes masked by a blue bandana. He took a moment to inhale the air of New York, the scent of home, until the time came where he jumped from the plane and free-fell. Wings from a pack upon his shell extracted and extended, enabling him to glide upon the water's surface before plunging into the waiting depths. He had only one thought in mind.

It was great to be home.

He swam to the sewer entrance and surfaced in the tunneling system to make his way home. He was anxious. Anxious to see his family and to see what has all changed. Apparently, a lot, since the first thing he saw when entering the lair was his master consoling a woman he didn't know upon the family sofa. For a split second he'd thought she'd been April but she was curvier and had much longer hair.

"M-Master?"

The woman looked up and gasped upon seeing him. His Master rose, patting the woman upon her head before walking to him. The familiar tap of his cane reverberated in his ears, signaling he was home. Leonardo immediately fell upon one knee, head bowed. What he wanted to do was jump into his father's arms but instead he'd taken the knee. A show of respect to his Sensei.

"You have returned," murmured Splinter and Leonardo's eyes closed as the warmth of his father's touch came upon his shoulder.

"Yes."

"There is much to discuss, but first, I will tell you that your brothers will need you this night."

"Sensei?" asked Leonardo.

"Rise, my son. There is much to tell you, with little time."

_Well what the shell had his brothers gotten into this time?_

.

.

.

Alice sat behind Raphael, clinging to him as his shell cycle maneuvered around the traffic in downtown Manhattan. Behind them, in a white van driven by Casey, were Michelangelo and Donatello. Don was pretty specific about where to park and soon both Raph and Casey were pulling into an alleyway adjacent to Foot HQ. There looked to be no guards and that made Alice a little uneasy. Were they expecting her? Had they moved Dani to another location? Was this all one large trap?

"Give me a moment," said Donatello, now holding a tablet.

They all lounged. Mikey sat atop a wooden crate, absentmindedly twirling his nunchaku. Casey was taking inventory of his bats and clubs. Raphael was leaning against the wall of the alley, fists enclosed around the handles of his sai and Alice was just wringing her hands, pacing restlessly.

"We'll find her," said Raphael, amber eyes following her movements.

"I know we will. I have to believe we will," whispered Alice, stilling then looking up at him. "Distract me for a little. What did you want to show me later?"

Raphael shrugged a massive green shoulder, looking almost… Bashful?

"Our old place," said Raphael. "Before Shred-Head and his goons trashed it. It's occupied now by a friend of ours but I wanted tah… ya know. Show ya."

Alice smiled, stepping up close and rising to her toes to press her lips to his cheek. GOD he was perfect. So perfect she was rethinking her old ideas of this just being a fling. One of his thick fingers curled around a piece of her hair that came undone from her messy bun and she looked up to see a more than serious look on his face. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Donatello cut him off.

"Got it! There's a small opening, tenth floor, used for ventilation. It looks to have the least amount of security. Which is why we are NOT going there, because from what I can see: a large amount of manpower is stationed there. What I do see is one area no one is at and that's, surprisingly, the basement level."

"Trap?" asked Raphael.

"Most assuredly. There are camera feeds coming from there so if someone were to enter from the basement something would be triggered."

"Well then where the hell are we goin?" growled Raphael, getting impatient.

"The fifteenth floor. There are some weapons stationed at this ventilation system but I can jam them for, oh… Thirty seconds? More than enough time for us to make it to the elevator shaft and work our way up or down."

"Why the hell not just say fifteenth floor? Why go through all that crap tah-" Raphael took a quick, calming breath. "Ok. We get in the elevator, then what?"

"From what I can see," said Donatello, tapping the tablet. "A lot of the life signs are on the tenth floor. There are two, however, near the rooftop. If we go there, I bet that's where Karai and Danica are."

"Ok. Dumb question. How are we going to get to the fifteenth floor?" asked Alice, unsure about how she felt when seeing the mischievous looks of the turtles and the slightly ashen one of Casey. "Guys?"

.

.

.

"This sucks," complained Alice as the wind whipped at her hair and face. Her hands and thighs were beyond sore as she shimmied up the rope ahead of Raphael. He'd made some snide comment about being able to have a great view the entire climb and she'd been oh so tempted to kick him in the face a couple times but she was too focused on saving her sister and not falling down fifteen stories to her death. Next time she'd punish him for it. They'd climbed up the neighboring building's roof and had launched a rope to the fifteenth floor. It was about a forty-five degree angle climb between the two buildings and after this Alice promised she'd be working on her upper body strength.

Donatello was ahead of her, needing to arrive to the large vents first to disable the systems. A complaining Casey and jesting Mikey were behind Raphael, who told them to be quiet about a thousand times because anyone at any moment could look out to see them thanks to their loud voices. It really was the truth. Though the darkness hid them to some extent, all it would take is someone to look out a south side window and look down (or up) to see them. Finally, after what seemed like hours instead of minutes, they arrived to their destination and after a few moments Donatello gave them the clear to go. They had thirty seconds so Alice rushed forward, sliding along the vent. When coming upon the side ladder maintenance workers used to repair elevators she latched on and climbed up a ways so that others would have a chance to get on as well. First Raph then Casey and finally Mikey made it just as the lasers and traps of the duct clicked back on.

"Ok," whispered Donnie. "Up we go."

"Sure we can't just USE the elevator?" complained Alice, arms shaking.

"And alert the Foot that we're making our way up?" asked Don. "Not very likely."

"Ok, ok, point taken, let's go Brainiac."

Raphael chuckled behind her and she looked down at him, stuck her tongue out, and then started climbing toward the top. Finally, right when she was willing to just call an elevator and deal with the consequences, Donatello was pulling a little gadget from his utility belt. Like he was Batman or something. He lodged it between the two elevator doors and the little piece of machinery actually pulled the doors apart a little. He latched on to one door then looked down at Alice.

"Little help?"

"I got it," said Raphael, using his ninja skill to climb past her and get to the other side of the doors. Together, he and Donatello pulled and when the doors opened enough, Alice was tempted to peek out but she waited for Don's signal.

"Ok, I'm looping the security feed now. They've got some smart people working for them so it won't take them long to figure it out so let's go."

Alice went first, shimmying on her stomach then pressing her back against the wall. The brothers and Casey followed suit and Donatello once again took the lead to guide them to where they needed to go. Left, right, and another right, another left, and Alice was starting to get lost. They stopped at a black door with the Foot crest on it. Donatello stepped back and Raphael came forward. Silently they spoke, signals indicating when the leader position would be taken and Alice thought it was pretty damn cool to see them in action.

Raphael lifted up his hand and counted off with her. One. Two. THREE. He kicked in the door and they all poured into the room. Karai and another stood in the center of the room. It wasn't her sister, but someone else. Karai lifted her hand which contained a small remote, pressed a button, and blue light traveled over them until they were transported to a room filled with Foot Ninja.

The tenth floor most likely.

Fighting the urge to vomit from the transport-_who knew such things existed?_\- Alice drew her sword and pointed it at Karai while massive amounts of Foot surrounded them. Behind her, someone puked, probably not liking the transportation either.

"Where's my sister?"

"Safe," assured Karai. "On her way back home with one of my men. No harm will fall upon her."

"You WILL die for what you did to her."

"I merely used her to get your attention." Karai lifted a hand and bodies all around her tensed. "One and only chance to come with me. I will let your turtle friends go."

"Like hell," growled Raphael.

"What he said," said Alice.

Karai made a small _tsking_ sound before lowering her hand and all hell broke loose. Bodies started flying, blood pouring. Alice knew they were outnumbered, massively outnumbered, and so using her enhanced powers she started striking men down with only one punch. They flew away from her like she was swatting away flies instead of bodies and upon seeing Karai, a large amount of rage hit her. She launched a fireball at Karai and the woman ducked, avoiding the blast. Others hadn't been so lucky and the scent of burned flesh embedded itself into Alice's nose. Karai kept dodging and Alice kept attacking. Fireballs flew but hit only Foot and not Karai. Alice was unaware that Karai was leading her right where she wanted her until a massive amount of energy hit her, sending her flying into a wall. Weakened, she tried to stand, but another blast had her flat on her ass.

"Hurry. We do not have much time," said Karai as another member of the Foot lifted Alice over their shoulder. Alice felt her strength starting to return and she lifted her head up to see her friends battling the others.

"RAPH!" she screamed and as he looked up, looking terrified, she was suddenly on a roof that looked like devil worshipers had taken it over. Symbol upon symbol decorated the surface and Alice was dropped in the middle of it. Words were being spoken in the corner that she had no idea the meaning of and Alice felt a tingling in her skin. "What are you doing?"

"What I've been planning all this time," said Karai. "I'm bringing my father back."

"You can't play God like this! He's dead!" shouted Alice as she stood on shaky legs. The symbols on her skin were starting to burn, glowing a bright blue, and Alice fell to her knees once again. It was as if energy was being pulled from her body and the symbols that had been drawn to the roof surface were starting to glow the same color.

"I am merely pulling him from another time," said Karai. "THAT was your destiny. Opening the portal to another time so that I could bring him back."

"Time travel? Are you kidding me?" snarled Alice as she tried to stand again. So weak. She felt sleepy, like she could take a little nap. She fought against that feeling. "This is how I'm to die? To bring daddy back?"

"If you are alive after he crosses over, perhaps I'll send you through the portal to be rid of you," said Karai. There was a metallic sound, like the sound of it hitting rock, and Alice looked up to see the widened eyes of Karai. "YOU!"

Karai immediately drew her sword and she was involved in a battle. Alice's whole body burned and she could see a spark of light forming in front of her getting larger and larger. The portal. It was strengthening. She had to do something! She couldn't let Shredder come to this time. To this place. She had to protect her friends. She looked around the roof. She saw Karai battling… Was that LEO? Yes, yes it was. He had dual katana and donned a blue bandana. He was slicing at Karai so with her busy there was no one to protect her little witchy witch. Finding them, Alice focused her energy. It was being pulled from her and it took all her inner strength to form the fireball in front of her. With a scream of rage she launched it at them. They'd been distracted by the spell and Karai. They'd been a fool to ignore her. They flew back from her power and she launched another one, sending them back, back, and then over the ledge of the roof, their screams drowned out by the powerful portal in front of her. A now VERY bright and brilliant portal.

_Balls_.

"NO!" shouted Karai. "You will not stop me!"

Leonardo did an aerial kick that had Karai falling back against the entrance of the rooftop and she fell still. Unconscious. Leo sheathed his weapons and came to her. Her energy was still leaving her. He had to lift her and his saddened eyes followed the wisps of glowing lights that would rise from her markings and enter the portal to strengthen it.

"Alice?"

"Leo," she said softly. "I'm so tired."

"Donnie can stop this," he said, setting her down. "I'm going to go help my brothers and bring them back. Ok?"

"No. I… I have to go in. Karai said it was ME that was strengthening the portal. It… It's my destiny."

He knelt down before her, hand on her glowing wrist. "Destinies are what you make of them, not what some prophet said years ago. Hold on. Please?"

A loud crash had both of them looking to the roof's entrance and there, panting and looking like death himself, was Raphael.

.

.

.

Something snapped inside of Raphael when seeing Alice disappear. A feral roar had escaped him, vision going red, and suddenly no one around him was safe. All throughout their training and all throughout battling their foes, they've tried to keep the fatalities to a minimum. Not this time. No one was safe from the tips of his sai. He knew the weak points and instead of toying around with his prey like he normally did in jest with his brothers: he went on a murdering rampage. Soldier upon soldier of Karai's fell at his feet as he wielded his weapons with expert precision. Stomachs and throats were torn open, precious arteries were ripped apart, and one was to be considered lucky if all he did was break a bone or two.

He heard the battle cries of his brothers and Casey and they seemed to be taking the extra precautions. Instead of maiming and killing they were wounding their opponents to keep them out of the battle. They were nowhere near inflicting the amount of pain Raphael was. Raphael didn't care. He needed to get to Alice. As blood of one victim dripped from his sai his eyes immediately sought out another until the Foot started to retreat due to his ferocious attacks and the lack of mercy they were getting that night.

"Raph?" asked Mikey timidly behind him and Raphael turned only his head, hands and weapons still dripping blood, panting while standing in a sea of bodies: most of which were HIS kills.

"Let's go," he said, voice strong and stern. He stepped around bodies and headed to the elevator, his allies almost reluctantly following. He knew where to go, could feel the sudden burst of power. It reminded him of when he first sensed her. She was using her powers, which meant she was still alive. Impatiently he waited to get to the top floor and was surprised to feel the pull go even higher.

The roof.

"Where's the roof access, Don?" he asked.

"This way," said Don, who had his little gadget out. "Door at the end of the hall leads-RAPH!"

Raphael had burst forward, sprinting to the door, his brothers and Casey barely able to keep up. He practically ripped the door off its hinges when coming upon it and raced up the stairs, thighs and lungs burning from the exertion of fighting and now running. He pushed the outside door open and the sight that greeted him was bittersweet. His brother was at Alice's side, defending her against Karai from what he could tell by the unconscious form near him. Alice looked weak and he could see light being pulled from her body into the portal. He was soon there, gathering her up in his arms, forgetting about the blood on his hands and smearing it on her face when pulling strands of her hair back to get a better look at her. He looked up at Leo, silently welcoming him home and thanking him. He heard his brothers shout Leo's name but he wasn't paying much attention to the reunion.

"Raph," she said, sounding so far away. "So tired."

"Don! Tell me you can stop this!"

"I… I…" Donatello was shaking his head.

"You can't," came a soft reply and they all whirled around to see Karai standing. "Not until HE comes."

"She wants to bring Shredder back," said Alice. "It's a time travel portal that won't close until I'm dead or have gone through. At least I think going through would stop it."

"Indeed you are right. It was always in our plans to use this portal at this time. Should one of us have failed to live to this point the other would bring them back. Here." She frowned. "Perhaps in my haste I have miscalculated where and when the portal opened. Now you have a choice. Send her through and save her or watch her die." Karai smirked, bringing down a smoke pellet, and she was soon gone.

"FUCKING BITCH!" shouted Raphael, holding Alice closed. "Please… I can't… I can't…"

"Raphael. Send me through."

"No," he growled, shaking from anger as well as despair.

"Raph," said Leo from behind him, hand going to Raphael's tense shoulders. "You heard Karai. We can't stop it. She's dying, we have to-"

"Don't tell me what I have to do," snarled Raphael. "YOU weren't here! You don't know!"

"Raphael," came the soft voice of Alice and her hand went to his cheek. Her sorrowful grey eyes connected with his lost amber and he broke, large tears coming forth. "I have to go."

"I just got ya back."

"I'll find a way back," she said.

"I'll come with ya."

"You need to stay with your brothers."

"No," he said, gathering her up, staring down the portal. "I'm goin' with ya."

.

Alice sighed. She had feared it'd come to this. She was going to hate herself for doing this, but she couldn't ask it of him. There was no guessing where the portal actually led nor who was on the other side. What if it killed her? Him? No, she would be okay with dying, but she wouldn't let him take the risk. She needed to know he would be safe. She managed to get him to let her stand and it was all she needed. Bracing her hands on his shoulders she used a small amount of her power to shove him back into the arms of his brothers.

"Hold him back!" she shouted and Leo and Don held one arm while Casey and Mikey struggled with another.

"NO! Damn it Alice!" Inch by inch Raphael was closing in on her and she brought her fingertips to her lips and blew him a kiss. "NO!"

"I love you," she said, before turning to the portal. Perhaps she shouldn't have said those words. She heard him fighting even more now to get free. It was the truth though, and she felt he had to know her feelings before she left him. She looked back, once more, and her heart broke at the torn look on his face before she rushed forward into the portal.

Into the unknown.

.

.

.

"It's been three days," said Leonardo, looking at the closed off room that belonged to Raphael.

"Give him time, my son," came the raspy voice of Splinter. "His heart is bleeding from the loss of his mate. He needs time to grieve her loss before he can start to heal."

"He really did love her," said Leo, almost shocked.

"Yes." Splinter put his hand on Leonardo's shoulder. "More than anything now, he needs your support. Not only as a leader, but as a brother."

Leonardo nodded and then squared his shoulders before entering his brother's room. To say it smelled like a brewery would be an understatement. Bottles and cans littered the darkened room and Leonardo focused his attention on the figure on the bed who had what looked to be a female's shirt in his hand. Leonardo sat on the edge of the bed and Raphael jerked awake.

"Alice?"

"It's me."

Raphael's eyes darkened before closing. "Go away."

Leonardo heard the catch in the voice and he brought his hand up and rested it on Raphael's shoulder. It trembled slightly and Leonardo was soon feeling a pain in his heart for his brother.

"Please jus go away…" whispered Raphael. "Leo? Please make all of it go away…"

Leonardo gathered his brother up in his arms and held him, one lone tear falling down his green cheek as his brother let out a long, rage-filled scream before sobbing. Leonardo wasn't sure how long they stayed like that but Alice's name was the last thing Raphael said before becoming too exhausted and falling back asleep. Leonardo eased him back,sliding the vacant shirt back into his hand.

"I'm so sorry, Raphael."

.

.

.

Alice opened her eyes. Her back hurt, her head hurt, _hell_, everything hurt. What greeted her was a blackened sky where she could faintly see dots of stars. Tentatively she moved her fingers and against the pads of them she felt concrete and grit. Next she moved her head to see that she was on a building's rooftop. The movement had her whole world spinning off its axis but she sat up anyway. Groaning, she brought her left hand up to hold her head, wincing as her strained muscles pulled. She felt the warm flow of blood on her forehead and rubbed it away while standing. She stumbled, gripping the ledge of the roof, then opened her eyes to the expanse of the-_what the hell?!_

What had been a beautiful city looked darker. Grittier. There weren't many bright lights save for one building in the far distance and Alice couldn't see a single living soul walking on the street. There were many large screens, one of which saying that a curfew was in effect until six in the morning. And was that the FOOT insignia at the bottom? The date was on there as well.  
**  
November 15th, 2032.**

"Oh balls!"

.

.

.

**END  
**

**Book #2: Down the Rabbit Hole**


End file.
